tempered
Americanadjective
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having a temper or disposition of a specified character (usually used in combination).
a good-tempered child.
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Music. tuned in accordance with some other temperament than just or pure temperament, especially tuned in equal temperament.
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made less intense or violent, especially by the influence of something good or benign.
justice tempered with mercy.
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properly moistened or mixed, as clay.
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Metallurgy. of or relating to steel or cast iron that has been tempered.
adjective
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music
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(of a scale) having the frequency differences between notes adjusted in accordance with the system of equal temperament See temperament
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(of an interval) expanded or contracted from the state of being pure
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(in combination) having a temper or temperament as specified
ill-tempered
Other Word Forms
- nontempered adjective
- untempered adjective
Etymology
Origin of tempered
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; temper, -ed 2, -ed 3
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.
And any hopes that a change in government will bring about a renaissance in the Venezuelan oil industry should be tempered with a dour dose of reality.
From Barron's
England youth international Jack Fletcher - son of former United title winner Darren - was given his debut as a substitute but, at 18, expectations have to be tempered.
From BBC
While Meg has enjoyed huge success with England's Red Roses, winning the World Cup earlier this year, the joy has been tempered by coming to terms with the double loss.
From BBC
Those concerns, though, were tempered Thursday after blowout earnings from chip company Micron Technology, which said quarterly profits nearly tripled to $5.2 billion as it benefits from the AI boom.
From Barron's
The agency last month also tempered its stance on an imminent peak in oil demand, reinstating a scenario in its World Energy Outlook annual report in which global oil consumption keeps growing until 2050.
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.
