moderate

American  

[mod-er-it, mod-rit, mod-uh-reyt] / ˈmɒd ər ɪt, ˈmɒd rɪt, ˈmɒd əˌreɪt /

adjective

1. kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense.

   a moderate price.

   Synonyms:

   calm, steady, cool, just, judicious, temperate, reasonable

2. of medium quantity, extent, or amount.

   a moderate income.

   Synonyms:

   average

3. mediocre or fair.

   moderate talent.

4. calm or mild, as of the weather.

5. of or relating to moderates, as in politics or religion.

   Antonyms:

   radical

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noun

1. a person who is moderate in opinion or opposed to extreme views and actions, especially in politics or religion.

   Antonyms:

   radical

2. (usually initial capital letter) a member of a political party advocating moderate reform.

verb (used with object)

moderated, moderating

1. to reduce the excessiveness of; make less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous.

   to moderate the sharpness of one's words.

   Synonyms:

   diminish, lessen, abate, appease, qualify, temper, mollify, soften, mitigate, calm, pacify, ameliorate

2. to preside over or at (a public forum, meeting, discussion, etc.).

verb (used without object)

moderated, moderating

1. to become less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous.

2. to act as moderator; preside.

moderate British  

adjective

1. not extreme or excessive; within due or reasonable limits

   moderate demands

2. not violent; mild or temperate

3. of average quality or extent

   moderate success

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noun

1. a person who holds moderate views, esp in politics

verb

1. to become or cause to become less extreme or violent

2. to preside over a meeting, discussion, etc

3. to act as an external moderator of the overall standards and marks for (some types of educational assessment)

4. physics to slow down (neutrons), esp by using a moderator

5. (tr) to monitor (the conversations in an on-line chatroom) for bad language, inappropriate content, etc

Related Words

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

• moderately adverb
• moderateness noun
• moderatism noun

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 ( 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.

Example Sentences

As of Thursday, 48.7% of California was experiencing abnormally dry conditions, and an additional 7.59% of the state was experiencing moderate drought, according to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Pope Leo, who was elected pontiff last May following the death of his predecessor Francis, is moderate and known as a bridge-builder.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

Indio is listed as one of the potentially impacted areas, although the local air quality management district said levels of polluting particles were measured as good to moderate since noon on Thursday.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

The rollout of electric trucks from 2H should also help moderate fuel consumption, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

And this illusion is only a moderate one compared to the one I had in 1928, when I regarded myself not only as the Laughing Man’s direct descendant but as his only legitimate living one.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• abate
• alleviate
• constrain
• cool
• curb
• decrease
• die down
• diminish
• lessen
• mitigate
• modify
• reduce
• slacken
• slow
• soften
• subdue
• subside
• temper
• tone down
• wane