moderate
Americanadjective
-
kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense.
a moderate price.
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of medium quantity, extent, or amount.
a moderate income.
- Synonyms:
- average
-
mediocre or fair.
moderate talent.
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calm or mild, as of the weather.
-
of or relating to moderates, as in politics or religion.
- Antonyms:
- radical
noun
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a person who is moderate in opinion or opposed to extreme views and actions, especially in politics or religion.
- Antonyms:
- radical
-
(usually initial capital letter) a member of a political party advocating moderate reform.
verb (used with object)
-
to reduce the excessiveness of; make less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous.
to moderate the sharpness of one's words.
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to preside over or at (a public forum, meeting, discussion, etc.).
verb (used without object)
-
to become less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous.
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to act as moderator; preside.
adjective
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not extreme or excessive; within due or reasonable limits
moderate demands
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not violent; mild or temperate
-
of average quality or extent
moderate success
noun
verb
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to become or cause to become less extreme or violent
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to preside over a meeting, discussion, etc
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to act as an external moderator of the overall standards and marks for (some types of educational assessment)
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physics to slow down (neutrons), esp by using a moderator
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(tr) to monitor (the conversations in an on-line chatroom) for bad language, inappropriate content, etc
Synonym Usage
Moderate, temperate, judicious, reasonable all stress the avoidance of excess—emotional, physical, intellectual, or otherwise. Moderate implies response or behavior that is by nature not excessive: a moderate drinker, a moderate amount of assistance. Temperate, interchangeable with moderate in some general uses, usually stresses the idea of caution, control, or self-restraint: a surprisingly temperate response to the angry challenge. Judicious emphasizes prudence and the exercise of careful judgment: a judicious balance between freedom and restraint; judicious care to offend neither side. Reasonable suggests the imposition or adoption of limits derived from the application of reason or good sense: a reasonable price; a reasonable amount of damages allotted to each claimant. See allay.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has moderatedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have moderatedperfect
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have been moderatingperfect progressive
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are moderatingprogressive
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moderatessingular 3rd person
-
am moderatingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been moderatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
is moderatingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
moderatingparticiple
Past
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had moderatedperfect
-
were moderatingprogressive plural
-
was moderatingprogressive singular
-
moderatedsimple
-
moderatedparticiple
-
had been moderatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of moderate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English moderate (adjective) moderaten (verb), from Latin moderātus (past participle of moderārī “to mitigate, restrain, control”), equivalent to moderā- verb stem ( see modest) + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
A moderate voter is someone who is politically speaking, in the center. In other words, they are not quite left or right, but somewhere in the middle. Moderate comes from the Latin for "medium sized," and as a noun and an adjective it means "middle, medium." If you get moderate rainfall, it's not too much and not too little. Goldilocks was known for her moderate tastes. As a verb, it means "to temper," or "to reduce from the extreme." If you moderate your speed while driving, you slow down a bit. If you moderate a discussion, you help two or more people have a reasonable conversation.
Vocabulary lists containing moderate
Liberty, Equality, Vocabulary: The French Revolution
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"The Flight of Icarus," Vocabulary from the myth
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"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
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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.
The findings from this review suggest that moderate consumption of traditional, freshly brewed tea can be beneficial, especially for preventing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Given that scenario, which is quite moderate to conservative, her portfolio would grow to nearly $2 million over the next 10 years.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Notably, progressive Katie Porter and moderate San José Mayor Matt Mahan stuck in until the bitter end.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
A recent report suggested more than three-quarters of workers are set to miss out on a moderate standard of living in later life.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
A contractor by trade, he focused on commercial infrastructure projects, like plumbing and heating; he was a Republican, like most of the legislators, but a moderate one.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
