Moderate — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb noun /ˈmä-d(ə-)rət/ (adjective) /ˈmä-də-ˌrāt/ (verb) mod·er·ate

Meaning & Definition of Moderate

Moderate (adjective)

  1. avoiding extremes of behavior or expression, observing reasonable limits
  2. calm, temperate
  3. tending toward the mean or average amount or dimension

Moderate (verb)

  1. to lessen the intensity or extremeness of
  2. to preside over or act as chairperson of
  3. to act as a moderator

Moderate (noun)

  1. one who holds moderate views or who belongs to a group favoring a moderate course or program

Moderate (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. avoiding extremes in behavior or expression

    "he was only a moderate drinker, generally stopping after a couple of glasses of wine"

    similar: temperate
    related: controlled, curbed, disciplined, inhibited, restrained, self-controlled, self-denying, self-disciplined, calculated, deliberate, measured, levelheaded, rational, reasonable, sensible, average, mediocre, medium, modest, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, so-so, normal, ordinary, regular, routine, typical, usual
    opposite: immoderate, intemperate
    near: excessive, extreme, inordinate, radical, irrational, unreasonable, unreasoning, extremist, fanatic, rabid, unbridled, unchecked, uncontrolled, unrestrained

  2. avoiding major social change or extreme political ideas

    "the principal's moderate position on cell phones is that students can use them at school but only for emergencies"

    similar: central, centrist, middle-of-the-road
    related: conventional, nonrevolutionary, orthodox, traditional, levelheaded, rational, reasonable, sensible, neutral
    opposite: extremist, radical, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultra
    near: excessive, conservative, reactionary, rightist, leftist, liberal, progressive, fanatic, rabid, subversive, violent, agitating, exciting, fomenting, incendiary, inciting, inflammatory, instigating, provocative, provoking, rabble-rousing, dissenting

  3. being about midway between extremes of amount or size

    "a moderate snowfall was forecast for the region"

    similar: average, intermediate, mean, median, medium, middle, middling, midsize, modest
    related: reasonable, common, commonplace, conventional, normal, popular, regular, routine, standard, typical, usual, adequate, passable, tolerable
    near: excessive, extreme, exceptional, rare, strange, uncommon, unusual, distinctive, idiosyncratic, special, unique, individual, peculiar, private

  4. marked by temperatures that are neither too high nor too low

    "a city that is celebrated for its moderate climate"

    similar: balmy, clement, equable, genial, gentle, mild, soft, temperate
    related: clear, cloudless, fair, rainless, sunny, sunshiny, calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, tranquil, delightful, fine, pleasant
    opposite: harsh, inclement, intemperate, severe
    near: blustering, blustery, breezy, gusty, rough, squally, stormy, windy, misty, rainy, showery, bleak, cloudy, dismal, foggy, gloomy, gray, hazy, overcast, sunless, bitter, dirty, foul, nasty, raw

Moderate (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who holds moderate views

    "to the community's detriment, moderates were often shouted down at town meetings by the local hotheads"

    similar: centrist, middle-of-the-roader
    related: progressive, reformer, accommodationist, compromiser
    opposite: extremist, radical, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultraist
    near: conservative, reactionary, rightist, right-winger, leftist, left-winger, liberal

Moderate (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually

    "the wind began to moderate as the night wore on"

    similar: abate, de-escalate, decline, decrease, die (away or down or out), diminish, drain (away), drop (off), dwindle, ease, ebb, fall, fall away, lessen, let up, lower, pall, phase down, ratchet (down), recede, relent, remit, shrink, subside, taper, taper off, wane
    related: compress, condense, constrict, contract, evaporate, fade (away), fritter (away), give out, melt (away), peter (out), tail (off), vanish, slacken, slow (down), alleviate, relax, flag, sink, weaken, cave (in), collapse, deflate
    opposite: accumulate, balloon, build, burgeon, enlarge, escalate, expand, grow, increase, intensify, mount, mushroom, pick up, rise, snowball, soar, swell, wax
    near: appear, emerge, show up, blow up, distend, elongate, lengthen

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Moderate

The most common words with a similar meaning to Moderate:

temperate, central, centrist, middle-of-the-road, average, intermediate, mean, median, medium, middle, middling, midsize, modest, balmy, clement, equable, genial, gentle, mild, soft, middle-of-the-roader, abate, de-escalate, decline, decrease, die (away or down or out), diminish, drain (away), drop (off), dwindle, ease, ebb, fall, fall away, lessen, let up, lower, pall, phase down, ratchet (down)

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Moderate

Words with the opposite meaning of Moderate:

immoderate, intemperate, extremist, radical, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultra, harsh, inclement, severe, ultraist, accumulate, balloon, build, burgeon, enlarge, escalate, expand, grow, increase, intensify, mount, mushroom, pick up, rise, snowball, soar, swell, wax

Related Words for Moderate

controlled, curbed, disciplined, inhibited, restrained, self-controlled, self-denying, self-disciplined, calculated, deliberate, measured, levelheaded, rational, reasonable, sensible, mediocre, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, so-so, normal, ordinary, regular, routine, typical, usual, conventional, nonrevolutionary, orthodox, traditional, neutral

Near Antonyms of Moderate

excessive, extreme, inordinate, irrational, unreasonable, unreasoning, fanatic, rabid, unbridled, unchecked, uncontrolled, unrestrained, conservative, reactionary, rightist, leftist, liberal, progressive, subversive, violent, agitating, exciting, fomenting, incendiary, inciting, inflammatory, instigating, provocative, provoking, rabble-rousing

Word Forms of Moderate

Inflections: moderated, moderating

Derived words: moderateness (noun), moderation (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Moderate

Middle English, from Latin moderatus, from past participle of moderare to moderate; akin to Latin modus measure

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Moderate

Words & Phrases Containing Moderate

moderate breeze, moderate gale

Frequently Asked Questions about Moderate

What does "Moderate" mean?

"Moderate" means avoiding extremes of behavior or expression, observing reasonable limits. As an an adjective, a verb and a noun, it is defined as: avoiding extremes of behavior or expression, observing reasonable limits. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Moderate"?

Other words for "Moderate" include temperate, central, centrist, middle-of-the-road, average, intermediate, mean and median. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Moderate" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Moderate"?

There are 125 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Moderate". Common alternatives include temperate, central, centrist, middle-of-the-road, average, intermediate, mean, median, medium and middle.

What is the opposite of "Moderate"?

Antonyms of "Moderate" include immoderate, intemperate, extremist, radical, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultra and harsh. Near antonyms include excessive, extreme, inordinate and irrational.

How do you use "Moderate" in a sentence?

Examples of "Moderate" in a sentence: "he was only a moderate drinker, generally stopping after a couple of glasses of wine"; "the principal's moderate position on cell phones is that students can use them at school but only for emergencies"; "a moderate snowfall was forecast for the region".

Is "Moderate" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Moderate" can be used as an adjective, a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Moderate" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Moderate" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Moderate"?

"Moderate" is pronounced /ˈmä-d(ə-)rət/ as an adjective and /ˈmä-də-ˌrāt/ as a verb and divided into syllables as mod·er·ate.