intemperate
Americanadjective
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given to or characterized by excessive or immoderate indulgence in alcoholic beverages.
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immoderate in indulgence of appetite or passion.
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not temperate; unrestrained; unbridled.
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extreme in temperature, as climate.
adjective
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consuming alcoholic drink habitually or to excess
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indulging bodily appetites to excess; immoderate
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unrestrained
intemperate rage
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extreme or severe
an intemperate climate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of intemperate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word intemperātus. See in- 3, temperate
Explanation
If a climate is intemperate, its temperatures might be extreme. If a person is intemperate, his moods might be extreme. Being intemperate is all about avoiding moderation. Intemperate is a combination of the prefix in- meaning "not" and the Latin temperantia meaning "moderation." When you are intemperate, you are not doing things in moderation; you lack self-control. It's often a word used when describing the tendency someone has to indulge excessively in liquor. An alcoholic is intemperate — overindulging and depending on alcohol.
Vocabulary lists containing intemperate
Behave Yourself! Vocabulary for Good, Bad, and Indifferent Conduct
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Chains
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Hamilton
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Intemperate dozen tweets about the country in question would be the least of it.
From New York Times • Sep. 6, 2016
Intemperate Women, Home for, II, 78, 83, 127.
From Julia Ward Howe 1819-1910 by Elliott, Maud Howe
"Our zone should be called the Intemperate zone," said he.
From Lady Baltimore by Wister, Owen
Intemperate debates, with violence undiminished, succeeded, in which all the topics of party censure, from the adoption of the constitution, were collected and heaped upon Mr. Adams by Marshall, Wise, Gilmer, and others.
From Memoir of the Life of John Quincy Adams. by Quincy, Josiah
Intemperate as Tankerville's language had been, it was impossible that things should remain as they were.
From The History of the Post Office From Its Establishment Down to 1836 by Joyce, Herbert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
