temperate
Americanadjective
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moderate or self-restrained; not extreme in opinion, statement, etc..
a temperate response to an insulting challenge.
- Synonyms:
- dispassionate, sober
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moderate as regards indulgence of appetite or passion, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors.
-
not excessive in degree, as things, qualities, etc.
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moderate in respect to temperature; not subject to prolonged extremes of hot or cold weather.
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Microbiology. (of a virus) existing in infected host cells but rarely causing lysis.
adjective
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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
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
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Weather and Climate - Introductory
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The United States
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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.
Temperate rainforests once covered around 20% of the UK, but today it covers less than 1%.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Temperate latitudes would have to serve as cropland rather than pastures.
From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2023
Temperate forests, boreal forests and woodlands have also experienced multiple pressures, leading to an at-risk status for 40% of the 107 types of native U.S. forests.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2023
Temperate, moderate, reasonable; not in his tool bag.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2020
With magnolias and many other luxuriant trees found in warm climates, five species of sequoia extended over the North Temperate zone in both hemispheres, reaching even to the Arctic Circle.
From Trees Worth Knowing by Rogers, Julia Ellen
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.
