moderato

[ mod-uh-rah-toh ]

/ ˌmɒd əˈrɑ toʊ /

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adjective Music.

moderate; in moderate time.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of moderato

1715–25; <Italian <Latin moderātusmoderate

Words nearby moderato

moderate-income, moderately, moderation, moderationist, Moderations, moderato, moderator, modern, modern apprenticeship, modern art, modern cut

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

How to use moderato in a sentence

In the first long movement (an Allegro moderato) there is no repeat.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
The opening moderato e cantabile is a tone-poem of touching pathos.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
Dahn interprets 'moderato ordine,' 'not so absolutely as the Roman clergy desires.'
The Letters of Cassiodorus|Cassiodorus (AKA Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator)
There are men in the prime of life, of a lymphatic temperament, whose blood seems to circulate moderato.
The Orchestral Conductor|Hector Berlioz

The last of the six movements—an Allegro Moderato, with Variations (very pretty)—resembles a tune for a musical box.
Handel|Romain Rolland

British Dictionary definitions for moderato

moderato

/ (ˌmɒdəˈrɑːtəʊ) /

adverb music

at a moderate tempo

(preceded by a tempo marking) a direction indicating that the tempo specified is to be used with restraintallegro moderato

Word Origin for moderato

C18: from Italian, from Latin moderātus; see moderate

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