temperate
Americanadjective
-
moderate or self-restrained; not extreme in opinion, statement, etc..
a temperate response to an insulting challenge.
- Synonyms:
- dispassionate, sober
-
moderate as regards indulgence of appetite or passion, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors.
-
not excessive in degree, as things, qualities, etc.
-
moderate in respect to temperature; not subject to prolonged extremes of hot or cold weather.
-
Microbiology. (of a virus) existing in infected host cells but rarely causing lysis.
adjective
-
having a climate intermediate between tropical and polar; moderate or mild in temperature
-
mild in quality or character; exhibiting temperance
Related Words
See moderate.
Other Word Forms
- nontemperate adjective
- nontemperately adverb
- nontemperateness noun
- pretemperate adjective
- pretemperately adverb
- temperately adverb
- temperateness noun
- untemperate adjective
- untemperately adverb
- untemperateness noun
Etymology
Origin of temperate
1350–1400; Middle English temperat < Latin temperātus, past participle of temperāre to exercise restraint, control. See temper, -ate 1
Explanation
Temperate means mild, moderate. If you're a temperate person, you are calm, reasonable. If you live in a temperate climate, it's warm and sunny, but not too hot. Like other words that sound similar, temperate has to do with measurement and range. Temperatures measure how hot and cold things are and someone with a temper is hot-headed or intemperate, the opposite of this word. A temperate person's life motto is summed up by Goldilocks: not too hot and not too cold, just right.
Vocabulary lists containing temperate
List 6
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!
Weather and Climate - Introductory
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!
The United States
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.
Volunteers have planted 800 young trees in a bid to expand one of the South West's last remaining temperate rainforests.
From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026
Vigils and protests erupted, with demonstrators standing on snowbanks throughout an unusually temperate January day.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
They liked the area’s temperate climate and, obviously, the cost of living, and they were required to pay into the national insurance program for healthcare.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 7, 2025
Roughly 6 million common dolphins inhabit tropical and temperate waters worldwide, making them the most numerous members of the cetacean family, which includes whales and porpoises.
From Science Daily • Oct. 22, 2025
Africa is the only continent to extend from the northern to the southern temperate zone, while also encompassing some of the world’s driest deserts, largest tropical rain forests, and highest equatorial mountains.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
