moderation
Americannoun
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the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance.
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the act of moderating.
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British. moderations, the first public examinations at Oxford University for the B.A. degree in mathematics or in classics.
idioms
noun
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the state or an instance of being moderate; mildness; balance
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the act of moderating
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within moderate or reasonable limits
Other Word Forms
- promoderation adjective
Etymology
Origin of moderation
1375–1425; late Middle English moderacion < Latin moderātiōn- (stem of moderātiō ). See moderate, -ion
Explanation
Eating foods in moderation is a key to maintaining a healthy diet. That means you have a little bit of everything, rather than gorging, say, on steak and ice cream. The word moderation describes a middle ground often in either behavior or political opinions. When a politician tries not to be too extreme to the left or right, he is using moderation to hold a middle ground in the hopes of getting as many voters as possible. Moderation can also be the act of tempering an extreme. Try a moderation of your coffee habit, and cut down from 8 cups a day to 2.
Vocabulary lists containing moderation
A Wrinkle in Time
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Nutrition - Introductory
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The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
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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.
Pope Leo lashed out against warmongers on Saturday while calling on billions of people around the globe to embrace peace and "believe once again in love, moderation and good politics".
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
Zuckerberg used a three-hour January 2025 appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast to defend Meta's rollback of content moderation.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
YouTube Kids was the only platform to have no misinformation on some topics "likely due to the implementation of stricter content moderation and prioritisation of child-friendly content", the authors said.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
While the WTO sees a moderation in demand for AI-enabling goods, it acknowledged that 2026 could yet deliver a fresh surprise.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Theresa began to talk about moderation, and how too much laughing upset the digestive process, but that was funny too.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
