Doordacht

Doordacht is a Dutch adjective meaning "carefully considered" or "well thought out." It is used to describe plans, proposals, designs, policies, or arguments that result from deliberate analysis and thorough consideration. The word is a compound of door and dacht, reflecting the sense of thinking through a matter completely. In practice, something described as doordacht suggests that risks, constraints, and goals have been weighed, and that the outcome aligns with available information and objectives.

In use, doordacht emphasizes rigor, coherence, and intentional planning. It is common in business, government, academia, journalism, and design contexts when praising careful preparation. It does not guarantee success, but signals that due diligence or thoughtful reasoning underpins the subject.

The term is closely related to weloverwogen (well weighed), grondig (thorough), and zorgvuldig (careful). It can be contrasted with more intuitive or improvised approaches, though in everyday language it is often used descriptively rather than prescriptively. Etymologically, doordacht conveys the sense of “thought through,” indicating that a matter has been considered from multiple angles before reaching a conclusion. See also: weloverwogen, grondig, zorgvuldig.