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.
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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
Synonym Usage
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.
A key finding was that the environment the birds evolved in - from tropical forest to temperate landscape - shaped how they "composed" their songs.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The city was chosen due to its elite training grounds, temperate climate, central location, and significant soccer infrastructure investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
That’s because all four of them reached the same conclusion: Kansas City happens to boast a raft of elite-level training grounds, a temperate climate and a central location.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Rosemary Mulholland, Head of Nature Recovery with Ulster Wildlife, is part of the team that has embarked on an ambitious 100-year restoration programme to restore temperate rainforests.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
“That’s the point. According to Grumman, the earth’s magnetic field changed dramatically at various times in the past, and the earth’s axis actually moved, too, so that temperate areas became ice-bound.”
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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.
