moderate

SayMOD-uh-rut/ˈmɑdəɹət/UK/ˈmɒdəɹət/

As a verbMOD-uh-rayt

Verbmoderates, moderating, moderated

Noun pluralmoderates

13 meanings of moderate

Practice

1
adjective
Not too much or too extreme, staying at a sensible middle level.
Like filling a glass halfway: enough, but not too much.
She eats a moderate amount of candy.
He does moderate exercise three times a week.
Similarmodest, reasonable, restrained, temperate
Oppositeexcessive, extreme, immoderate
Note
2
adjective
Gentle or mild, not strong, rough, or extreme.
The weather was moderate all week, never too hot or too cold.
She spoke in a moderate voice, calm and gentle.
Similarmild, temperate, gentle, calm
Oppositeextreme, harsh, severe
3
verbtransitive
To make something less strong or less extreme.
The doctor told him to moderate his use of salt.
Trees help moderate the heat in summer.
Similarsoften, temper, mitigate
Oppositeintensify, heighten, exacerbate
Note
4
verbintransitive
To become weaker, calmer, or less extreme.
The wind should moderate by tonight.
Prices moderated after the holiday rush.
Similarcool, soften
Oppositeintensify, escalate, worsen
Note
5
adjective
In the middle range of how serious an illness or injury is.
The doctor said she had moderate pain in her knee.
He has a moderate fever, so he should rest at home.
Note
6
adjectiveUS
Having political ideas in the middle, not strongly left or right.
She is a moderate voter who often picks candidates from both parties.
His moderate views helped him win support across the state.
Similarcentrist
Oppositeradical, extreme
Note
7
nouncountable
A person whose ideas are in the middle, not extreme on either side.
As a moderate, she often votes for ideas from both sides.
The moderates in the group wanted small changes, not a big fight.
Similarcentrist
Oppositeextremist, radical
Note
8
verbtransitive
To lead a discussion or meeting and keep it fair.
A teacher will moderate the class debate on Friday.
She moderates an online group about cooking.
Similarchair, arbitrate
Note
9
verbintransitive
To lead a discussion, or to help people who disagree reach an agreement.
When the friends argued, their coach stepped in to moderate.
He often moderates at neighborhood meetings.
Similarmediate, arbitrate
Note
10
adjective
Only average in quality and not very good.
His singing was moderate at best, and the judges noticed.
The team gave a moderate performance and lost the game.
Similarmediocre, middling, average, ordinary

Less common meanings

11
adjective
Costing about an average amount, not very cheap and not expensive.
They stayed at a hotel with moderate prices.
The store sells good shoes at moderate cost.
Similarreasonable, affordable, modest
Oppositeexorbitant, steep
12
verbtransitive
To add a material to a nuclear reactor that slows down its particles.
Engineers moderate the reactor with ordinary water to keep it working safely.
Old power plants used solid carbon blocks to moderate their reactors.
Note
13
nounhistoricalcountable
A member of a group that led the Scottish church in the 1700s and was not strict about its rules.
The new minister was a moderate who cared more about polite manners than strict belief.
The moderates would not let ordinary church members choose their own ministers.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of moderate apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2, 5–6, 10–11

From Latin moderatus, from moderor meaning to restrain or moderate, based on modus meaning measure.

Meanings 7, 13

This noun comes from the adjective 'moderate' being used as a noun.

Meanings 3–4, 8–9, 12

From Middle English moderaten meaning to restrain or curb, from Latin moderatus.