temperate
Americanadjective
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moderate or self-restrained; not extreme in opinion, statement, etc..
a temperate response to an insulting challenge.
- Synonyms:
- dispassionate, sober
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moderate as regards indulgence of appetite or passion, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors.
-
not excessive in degree, as things, qualities, etc.
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moderate in respect to temperature; not subject to prolonged extremes of hot or cold weather.
-
Microbiology. (of a virus) existing in infected host cells but rarely causing lysis.
adjective
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having a climate intermediate between tropical and polar; moderate or mild in temperature
-
mild in quality or character; exhibiting temperance
Synonym Usage
See moderate.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of temperate
1350–1400; Middle English temperat < Latin temperātus, past participle of temperāre to exercise restraint, control. See temper, -ate 1
Explanation
Temperate means mild, moderate. If you're a temperate person, you are calm, reasonable. If you live in a temperate climate, it's warm and sunny, but not too hot. Like other words that sound similar, temperate has to do with measurement and range. Temperatures measure how hot and cold things are and someone with a temper is hot-headed or intemperate, the opposite of this word. A temperate person's life motto is summed up by Goldilocks: not too hot and not too cold, just right.
Vocabulary lists containing temperate
List 6
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Weather and Climate - Introductory
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The United States
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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.
Temperature variations and anomalies in countries close to the equator are typically smaller than in temperate climates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
In a paper last year for the Journal of Environmental Management, Mr. Resco de Dios and co-authors looked at fires in the temperate forests of southwestern Europe, including Spain, France and Portugal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
So birds adapted for tropical forests use different acoustic building blocks, or motifs, to those from temperate regions.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
That’s because all four of them reached the same conclusion: Kansas City happens to boast a raft of elite-level training grounds, a temperate climate and a central location.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Beringia, as this land is called, was surprisingly temperate, sometimes even warmer than it is today; masses of low flowers covered it every spring.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
