moderate
Americanadjective
-
kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense.
a moderate price.
-
of medium quantity, extent, or amount.
a moderate income.
- Synonyms:
- average
-
mediocre or fair.
moderate talent.
-
calm or mild, as of the weather.
-
of or relating to moderates, as in politics or religion.
- Antonyms:
- radical
noun
-
moderates
plural
-
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)
-
moderates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
moderated,
past participle, past
-
moderating
present participle
-
to reduce the excessiveness of; make less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous.
to moderate the sharpness of one's words.
-
to preside over or at (a public forum, meeting, discussion, etc.).
verb (used without object)
-
moderates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
moderated,
past participle, past
-
moderating
present participle
-
to become less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous.
-
to act as moderator; preside.
adjective
-
not extreme or excessive; within due or reasonable limits
moderate demands
-
not violent; mild or temperate
-
of average quality or extent
moderate success
noun
verb
-
to become or cause to become less extreme or violent
-
to preside over a meeting, discussion, etc
-
to act as an external moderator of the overall standards and marks for (some types of educational assessment)
-
physics to slow down (neutrons), esp by using a moderator
-
(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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
moderatesimple
-
moderatessimple
-
have moderatedperfect
-
has moderatedperfect
-
am moderatingprogressive
-
are moderatingprogressive
-
is moderatingprogressive
-
have been moderatingperfect progressive
-
has been moderatingperfect progressive
Past
-
moderatedsimple
-
had moderatedperfect
-
was moderatingprogressive
-
were moderatingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Flight of Icarus," Vocabulary from the myth
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The wider guide includes more than 70 other South Australian restaurants, with some recognised through the Bib Gourmand category, which highlights restaurants offering good food at more moderate prices.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The AI-driven global technology cycle is assumed to be moderate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
After huge increases in the second quarter in markets-related business, revenue growth was expected to moderate somewhat in the just-finished July-September quarter.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
What’s needed is a balance between rival values and principles that is flexible, moderate and resistant to doctrinal purity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 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
OTTAWA—Canadian housing starts were little changed last month as building moderates in the country, adding to signs the property market is stalling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Throughout the campaign, Stevens argued that El-Sayed would not be able to defeat Rogers, a refrain some moderates repeated Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Among self-described moderates, Talarico’s lead is even more pronounced, with the Democrat ahead 54% to 20%.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
But any nominee will have to unite Platner's wounded supporters with moderates, independents and women voters wary of a party that just watched its chosen candidate implode.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
The prospect of a united front between Africans and Indians, between moderates and radicals, greatly worried them.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
A moderated online forum could make challenges to contested papers part of the scientific record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Housing remains the largest contributor to inflation, although price growth in the category has moderated, while higher petrol prices and airfares drove the latest acceleration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Oil prices moderated, with Brent crude futures settling at $104.61 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
It is the most attention a California gubernatorial contest has drawn since 2010, when “Today” show host Matt Lauer and NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd moderated nationally televised clashes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Time had moderated his early impulse for growth and he was a man of average height marked by smallpox scars, but his amazing power for manual destruction remained intact.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Edmonds, of EVA England, says developments in electric vehicle design have made them better at moderating the acceleration so they don't gain speed as rapidly.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
“The recent decline in spot oil prices largely reflects a perception of moderating geopolitical risks, but continued threats to both Hormuz and Red Sea routes should keep Brent above pre-war levels and volatility elevated.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note hit a three-year high above 4.85 percent after the buyback announcement before moderating somewhat.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
The man has achieved significant political capital without moderating anything he stands for.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
Nuah is behind me, being Mr. Nice Guy and not passing me but moderating his pace.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
