moderate

[ adjective, noun mod-er-it, mod-rit; verb mod-uh-reyt ]

/ adjective, noun ˈmɒd ər ɪt, ˈmɒd rɪt; verb ˈmɒd əˌreɪt /

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See synonyms for: moderate / moderated / moderating / moderately on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

mediocre or fair: moderate talent.

calm or mild, as of the weather.

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

noun

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

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

verb (used with object), mod·er·at·ed, mod·er·at·ing.

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), mod·er·at·ed, mod·er·at·ing.

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

to act as moderator; preside.

OTHER WORDS FOR moderate

1 reasonable, temperate, judicious, just, cool, steady, calm. 2 average.

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

See synonyms for moderate on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR moderate

5, 6 radical.

See antonyms for moderate on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

synonym study for moderate

1. 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. 8. See allay.

OTHER WORDS FROM moderate

mod·er·ate·ly, adverbmod·er·ate·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use moderate in a sentence

The panel will be moderated by Associate Editor at IndieWire Jude Dry.
Trans Awareness Week goes virtual|Parker Purifoy|November 18, 2020|Washington Blade
On Saturday, Musk tweeted that he “most likely” had a moderate case of Covid-19 and has had symptoms of “a minor cold.”
Elon Musk set to pass Mark Zuckerberg in net worth|Rachel Schallom|November 17, 2020|Fortune
In the new study, patients with moderate or severe depression received two doses of psilocybin pills spaced about a week and a half apart.
Psilocybin may help treat depression, a small study finds|Laura Sanders|November 17, 2020|Science News
Side effects after the second injection of Moderna’s vaccine have been mild to moderate.
Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 appears nearly 95 percent effective|Erin Garcia de Jesus|November 16, 2020|Science News For Students

People in the trial have reported mild to moderate side effects after the second injection, including fatigue, joint pain and headache.
Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 95 percent effective|Erin Garcia de Jesus|November 16, 2020|Science News
She will allow that over the years her initially phobic view of Germans has moderated.
Life Under Air Strikes: Children Under Fire Will Never Forget — or Forgive|Clive Irving|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I moderated a Davos panel with several Arab officials, including Egyptian Minister of Finance Ahmed Galal.
Income Inequality Was Quickly Forgotten at Davos|Christopher Dickey|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was playing Martha Raddatz when she moderated one of the vice-presidential debates last year.
Kate McKinnon Is the Future of ‘Saturday Night Live’|Kevin Fallon|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The panel was moderated by Sarah Kambou, President of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).
Stanford Panel: Transforming Lives – Just Business as Usual|A Daily Beast Sponsor|October 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When your side wields the power, one can afford to demand that its use be moderated.
Israeli and Palestinian Narratives Mirror One Another, But Do Not Reflect Parity|Mira Sucharov|October 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And it was well that the weather had moderated; for otherwise there would have been a man lost.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
We were now within the tropics, but found the heat greatly moderated by the trade wind, and only unbearable in the cabin.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
As soon as the weather moderated some of the enthusiastic women were busy getting up a Red Cross collection for Germany.
Ways of War and Peace|Delia Austrian
By noon the next day the weather had moderated sufficiently to make more sail, and the sea went down at the same time.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
We might stick by Mr. de Vervillin until it moderated, and then pay our respects to him.
The Two Admirals|J. Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for moderate

moderate

adjective (ˈmɒdərɪt, ˈmɒdrɪt)

not extreme or excessive; within due or reasonable limitsmoderate demands

not violent; mild or temperate

of average quality or extentmoderate success

noun (ˈmɒdərɪt, ˈmɒdrɪt)

a person who holds moderate views, esp in politics

verb (ˈmɒdəˌreɪt)

to become or cause to become less extreme or violent

(when intr, often foll by over) to preside over a meeting, discussion, etc

British and NZ 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

Derived forms of moderate

moderately, adverbmoderateness, nounmoderatism, noun

Word Origin for moderate

C14: from Latin moderātus observing moderation, from moderārī to restrain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

moderate

OTHER WORDS FOR moderate

OPPOSITES FOR moderate

Origin of moderate

synonym study for moderate

OTHER WORDS FROM moderate

Words related to moderate

How to use moderate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for moderate

Derived forms of moderate

Word Origin for moderate