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
-
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
-
having a climate intermediate between tropical and polar; moderate or mild in temperature
-
mild in quality or character; exhibiting temperance
Related Words
See moderate.
Other Word Forms
- nontemperate adjective
- nontemperately adverb
- nontemperateness noun
- pretemperate adjective
- pretemperately adverb
- temperately adverb
- temperateness noun
- untemperate adjective
- untemperately adverb
- untemperateness noun
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.
While humans cause most fires in the tropics, climate change is intensifying natural fire cycles in northern and temperate regions, the researchers said.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
Volunteers are hoping to raise funding to continue restoring a rare temperate rainforest habitat which has shrunk across the country.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Their findings show that temperate woodland species, including oak, elm, and hazel, were present much earlier than suggested by pollen records from Britain.
From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026
Though the state’s temperate coast is ideal for heat pump adoption, high residential electricity prices can make swapping a gas furnace for a heat pump a pricey proposition.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026
Earlier in the day, an unusually temperate February morning, one of Dr. Atchley’s cognitive neuroscientist students had asked him about the scientific validity of intelligent design.
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.
