moderate

adjective mod·er·ate \ ˈmä-d(ə-)rət \

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Examples: moderate in a Sentence

Definition of moderate

1 a : avoiding extremes of behavior or expression : observing reasonable limits

a moderate drinker

b : calm, temperate

Though very much in favor of the measure, he expressed himself in moderate language.

2 a : tending toward the mean or average amount or dimension

a family of moderate income

b : having average or less than average quality : mediocre

wrote moderate poetry to the end of his life
—Carl Van Doren

3 : not violent, severe, or intense

a moderate climate

moderate winters

cook over moderate heat

4 : professing or characterized by political or social beliefs that are not extreme

had left-wing, moderate, and right-wing candidates vying for the nomination

5 : limited in scope or effect

His new wealth had only a moderate effect on his way of life.

6 : not expensive : reasonable or low in price

a moderate price for a new house

7 of a color : of medium lightness and medium chroma

a moderate red

—

moderately

adverb

—

moderateness

noun

See moderate defined for English-language learners

See moderate defined for kids

Examples of moderate in a Sentence

Her doctor recommended moderate exercise.
There were moderate levels of chemicals in the lake.
drinking moderate amounts of coffee
Most of these medicines relieve mild to moderate pain.
a family of moderate income
a book of moderate length
The group met with only moderate success.
a writer of moderate talent
The hotel offers comfortable rooms at moderate prices.
Both moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans can agree on this new law.

Recent Examples of moderate from the Web

When new District Eight Supervisor Rafael Mandelman takes office in two weeks, the majority on the Board of Supervisors will shift from moderate to progressive.

— evan sernoffsky, SFChronicle.com, "SF police effort to get Tasers set back," 29 June 2018
Federal physical activity guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, in addition to muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.

— jamie ducharme, Time, "Only 23% of Americans Get Enough Exercise, a New Report Says," 28 June 2018
One lesson of history is that successful democracies tend to have parties of the left that are moderate.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "The New Queen of Queens," 27 June 2018
The winner will face endangered Rep. Mike Coffman, a moderate Republican trying to broker an immigration compromise who has expressed frustration with Trump.

— author: sean sullivan, david weigel, Anchorage Daily News, "Top House Democrat loses in upset; Trump extends his winning streak in GOP primaries," 27 June 2018
De León’s whole argument for his longshot campaign against Feinstein has been that the former San Francisco mayor is just too moderate and Republican-friendly to represent California’s liberal leanings.

— john wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bad news comes in bunches for Kevin de León: Key lawmaker backs Feinstein," 12 June 2018
Other scientists have since reported that corals lay down larger growth rings during wet seasons when temperatures are more moderate, and smaller rings during dry seasons when conditions are more extreme.

— elizabeth svoboda, Scientific American, "Cores from Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 6 June 2018
Dave Min, another UC Irvine law professor, is more moderate and received the endorsement of the California Democratic Party.

— tara golshan, Vox, "June 5 primary: live results for key races in California, New Jersey, South Dakota, New Mexico, Iowa, and Montana," 5 June 2018
Partisan activists are seldom riled up over regulatory jobs, especially those at financial agencies where leaders are rarely high-profile names and often are politically moderate.

— robert schmidt, Bloomberg.com, "Progressives Ask Schumer to Pick Like-Minded Financial Watchdogs," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'moderate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of moderate

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

moderate Synonyms

moderate

verb mod·er·ate \ ˈmä-də-ˌrāt \

Definition of moderate

moderated; moderating

transitive verb

1 : to lessen the intensity or extremeness of

the sun moderated the chill

2 : to preside over or act as chairman of

moderated the board of directors meeting

moderated the debate

intransitive verb

1 : to act as a moderator

He moderated on a weekly panel show.

2 : to become less violent, severe, or intense

the wind began to moderate

—

moderation

play \ˌmä-də-ˈrā-shən\ noun

See moderate defined for English-language learners

Examples of moderate in a Sentence

The protesters have been unwilling to moderate their demands.
She moderates at our office meetings.
She moderates our discussions so that we don't argue or talk at the same time.

Recent Examples of moderate from the Web

Each candidate flashed their platform, and shared some nuances from the field during the event, held at the Miramar Cultural Center and moderated by PBS NewsHour’s Yamiche Alcindor and WLRN Public Media’s Luis Hernandez.

— david smiley, miamiherald, "Democrats play nice, display platforms in second gubernatorial debate in three nights," 11 June 2018
This was demonstrated by the panel discussion moderated by Tess Chaney, relocation director for Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, who also served on the RDC Spring Planning Committee.

— michelle sandlin, Houston Chronicle, "On the Move: Houston leadership plays key role in Relocation Directors Council Event," 10 June 2018
The evening also includes a discussion moderated by Yee Htun of Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic.

— peter keough, BostonGlobe.com, "What happens when nationalism goes awry," 7 June 2018
The May 26 event will include a panel discussion moderated by Jonathan Gold.

— noelle carter, latimes.com, "A world renowned chef on cooking what may be Peru's most famous food — and it's probably in your kitchen," 24 May 2018
The one-hour event, moderated by CNN's Chris Cuomo, will air Wednesday, May 23 at 9 p.m. ET, and feature audience questions.

— veronica stracqualursi, CNN, "Nancy Pelosi to take questions in CNN town hall," 16 May 2018
Responses from two of the candidates,Lillian Salerno and Colin Allred of Congressional District 32 in Dallas, came during a Dallas Democratic Forum runoff debate moderated by Texas Tribune reporter Brandon Formby.

— sydney greene and darla cameron, star-telegram, "We asked 22 Texas Democrats running for Congress whether they'd vote to impeach Trump. Here's what they said | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 15 May 2018
At halftime, Rippon will take the court for a Q&A session, which will be moderated by Mercury Vice President and Basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale.

— katherine fitzgerald, azcentral, "Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon to headline Mercury's Pride Night," 15 June 2018
The panel will be moderated by Diana Tourjee, a GLAAD award-winning trans journalist, and will feature panelists Brian Michael Smith, Amiyah Scott, Jamie Clayton, and more.

— melania hidalgo, The Cut, "A Guide to the Biggest Pride Events Happening This June," 15 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of moderate

see ¹moderate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

moderate Synonyms

Synonyms

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) also rachet (down) , recede, relent, remit, shrink, subside, taper, taper off, wane;

Antonyms

accumulate, balloon, build, burgeon (also bourgeon), enlarge, escalate, expand, grow, increase, intensify, mount, mushroom, pick up, rise, snowball, soar, swell, wax;

Near Antonyms

appear, emerge, show up;

blow up, distend, elongate, lengthen;

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;

moderate

noun mod·er·ate \ ˈmä-d(ə-)rət \

Definition of moderate

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

See moderate defined for English-language learners

Examples of moderate in a Sentence

Moderates from both political parties have agreed on an economic plan.
to the community's detriment, moderates were often shouted down at town meetings by the local hotheads

Recent Examples of moderate from the Web

If inflation moderates, the central bank may keep policy steady as the government is aiming for stronger growth this year of between 7% and 8%.

— gaurav raghuvanshi, WSJ, "Philippines Central Bank Raises Benchmark Rates," 20 June 2018
And in most of these contests, the nominal moderates were women, who are typically hard to paint as heavy-handed law enforcers.

— rachel swan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Why challenges to district attorneys in state fell short," 6 June 2018
House moderates normally are not the problem group for Ryan, points out Molly Reynolds, a congressional expert with the Brookings Institution.

— amber phillips, Washington Post, "The failed farm bill capped an awful week for Paul Ryan," 18 May 2018
Putting forward a slate of moderates in Republican areas could prove more controversial than boosting just one in a special election.

— author: alexander burns and jonathan martin, Anchorage Daily News, "Democrat wins Pennsylvania House race in Trump country," 14 Mar. 2018
In other words, moderates have never been more marginalised or more important.

— The Economist, "The last of the moderates," 1 Feb. 2018
Pennsylvania 15th district 2016 presidential election: +7.6 Trump 2016 House election: +19.63 Dent Charlie Dent, one of the most outspoken moderates in the House GOP, is retiring.

— jim geraghty, National Review, "The House GOP’s Outlook Is Better Than You Think," 25 Jan. 2018
Conservatives say the compromise legislation that GOP leaders helped negotiate with moderates is inadequate.

— dustin weaver and alan fram, chicagotribune.com, "Trump, GOP to huddle as outrage builds over border policy," 19 June 2018
The Republican from Wisconsin brokered a deal among Republican factions that quelled a rebellion by moderates and will put to a vote next week two immigration bills that would provide some protection for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

— Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg’s Week in Pictures," 14 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of moderate

see ¹moderate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1648

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

moderate Synonyms

Synonyms

centrist, middle-of-the-roader;

Antonyms

extremist, radical, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultraist;

Near Antonyms

conservative, reactionary, rightist, right-winger;

leftist, left-winger, liberal;

Related Words

progressive, reformer;

accommodationist, compromiser;

MODERATE Defined for English Language Learners

moderate

adjective

Definition of moderate for English Language Learners

: average in size or amount : neither too much nor too little
: neither very good nor very bad
: not expensive : not too high in price

moderate

verb

Definition of moderate for English Language Learners

: to make (something) less harsh, strong, or severe or to become less harsh, strong, or severe
: to guide a discussion or direct a meeting that involves a group of people

moderate

noun

Definition of moderate for English Language Learners

: a person whose political ideas are not extreme : a person who has moderate opinions or is a member of a moderate political group

MODERATE Defined for Kids

moderate

adjective mod·er·ate \ ˈmä-də-rət \

Definition of moderate for Students

1 : neither too much nor too little

moderate heat

2 : neither very good nor very bad

moderate success

3 : not expensive : reasonable

moderate rates

4 : not extreme or excessive

a moderate point of view

a moderate eater

—

moderately

adverb

moderate

verb mod·er·ate \ ˈmä-də-ˌrāt \

Definition of moderate for Students

moderated; moderating

: to make or become less extreme or severe

Medical Dictionary

moderate

adjective mod·er·ate \ ˈmäd-(ə-)rət \

medical Definition of moderate

1 : avoiding extremes of behavior : observing reasonable limits

a moderate drinker

2 : not severe in effect or degree

moderate alcohol consumption

the abdomen was mildly distended with moderate tenderness
—Timothy Melester et al

moderate developmental disabilities

moderate

transitive verb mod·er·ate \ ˈmäd-ə-ˌrāt \

medical Definition of moderate

moderated; moderating

: to reduce the speed or energy of (neutrons)

—

moderation

play \ˌmäd-ə-ˈrā-shən\ noun

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Definition of moderate

moderately

moderateness

Examples of moderate in a Sentence

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moderate Synonyms

Synonyms

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moderate

Definition of moderate

moderation

Examples of moderate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of moderate from the Web

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moderate Synonyms

Synonyms

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Related Words

moderate

Definition of moderate

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Origin and Etymology of moderate

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Synonyms

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MODERATE Defined for English Language Learners

moderate

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moderate

Definition of moderate for English Language Learners

moderate

Definition of moderate for English Language Learners

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moderate

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moderately

moderate

Definition of moderate for Students

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moderate

medical Definition of moderate

moderate

medical Definition of moderate

moderation

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