moderate

adjective

mod·er·ate | \ ˈmä-d(ə-)rət

Definition of moderate

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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.

2a : 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

moderate

verb

mod·er·ate | \ ˈmä-də-ˌrāt

moderated; moderating

Definition of moderate (Entry 2 of 3)

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

moderate

noun

mod·er·ate | \ ˈmä-d(ə-)rət

Definition of moderate (Entry 3 of 3)

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

Other Words from moderate Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about moderate

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Other Words from moderate

Adjective

moderately adverb

moderateness noun

Verb

moderation \ ˌmä-də-ˈrā-shən

\ noun

Examples of moderate in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Verb

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.

Noun

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 on the Web: Adjective

The pilot ejected moments before impact, sustaining moderate injuries. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Last Year's F-15 Fighter Crash Was Due to “Pilot Error,” Report Says," 25 Apr. 2019 Barry is often considered a conservative-leaning moderate. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Maryanne Trump Barry and Donald Trump Seem to Lead Different Lives—But Their Stories Are Intertwined," 16 Apr. 2019 She is widely viewed as the most moderate Republican senator, and famously defected from her party to help sink Obamacare repeal last year. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "Susan Collins will vote for Brett Kavanaugh, making his confirmation nearly certain," 5 Oct. 2018 Conservatives are hoping to win over at least some moderate Democratic senators to solidify Kavanaugh's chances. — Eliza Collins, USA TODAY, "Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh visits Capitol Hill as activists gird for battle," 10 July 2018 One is if the more moderate Republican senators like Maine’s Susan Collins balk at Trump’s nomination. — Jeet Heer, The New Republic, "Retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy gives Trump a chance to remake America.," 27 June 2018 The prospects for the nominee’s confirmation will most likely come down to how a handful of moderate senators will vote. — Charlie Savage, New York Times, "Anthony Kennedy’s Exit May Echo for Generations," 27 June 2018 April marks the 25th anniversary of the start of the Rwandan genocide, in which almost 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were indiscriminately set upon and murdered—in their homes, in schools, in churches and in the open air. — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, "Legacy of an African Genocide," 1 Apr. 2019 Most had mild or moderate cases, but one man had enough growth to block more than two-thirds of his ear canal, which may have been enough to cause noticeable hearing loss. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "The skulls of ancient pearl divers come with abnormal ear canal bone growths," 28 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Duque moved to moderate his positions in the final weeks of the campaign in a bid to soften his image for centrist voters. — Chris Kraul, latimes.com, "Right-wing former senator wins Colombia's presidential election, beating left-wing former guerrilla," 18 June 2018 The extremes of the Gilded Age were moderated in the Progressive Era that followed. — Rick Hampson, USA TODAY, "In the second Gilded Age, the mansions get bigger, and the homeless get closer," 16 May 2018 In recent months, the governor has moderated his tone and made overtures to Democratic-leaning voters with efforts to bolster health care and education. — Thomas Beaumont And Scott Bauer, chicagotribune.com, "Former epicenter of GOP resurgence, Dems see Wisconsin as ground zero for their party's revival," 19 Apr. 2018 The party, which has worked to moderate its image in past years, gained on a backlash against the challenges of integrating hundreds of thousands of immigrants that arrived in the Scandinavian nation of 10 million over the past years. — Fox News, "The Latest: Sweden faces uncertainty after close election," 10 Sep. 2018 The Official Peloton Member page, first started by a member in 2015 and now moderated by the brand, has amassed 160,000 members around the world. — Leah Groth, Glamour, "Peloton’s Online Community Is Changing the Fitness Game for Moms," 9 Apr. 2019 But the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party is pushing back hard against the notion that moderating the message is the path to victory this fall. — Aaron Kessler, CNN, "Money flowing into a Democratic primary is split around abortion rights," 20 Mar. 2018 On Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube, tech companies are struggling with where to draw lines around free speech and how to moderate and enforce those boundaries. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "One easy thing Facebook should do in Myanmar," 10 Nov. 2018 Still, much of the challenge of moderating Facebook comes from the sheer scale and complexity of the task. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Ex-Facebook moderator sues Facebook over exposure to disturbing images," 26 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There are also two immigration bills being debated in the House, but conservatives say the compromise legislation that GOP leaders helped negotiate with moderates is inadequate. — Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, "Silicon Valley weighs in on border policy as outrage rises," 19 June 2018 Newsletter Sign-up Mr. Kudlow is one of the administration’s main trade moderates and, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, has been exploring with Chinese officials ways to come up with a deal that could pass muster with Mr. Trump. — Bob Davis, WSJ, "Larry Kudlow Voices Skepticism Over Trump-Xi Trade Meeting," 27 Nov. 2018 Well, patriotic moderates of whatever (or no) party can only pray. — Logan Jenkins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For true moderates, New Yorker tops Dem dream ticket," 9 July 2018 Democrats who plan to oppose Trump's nominee are focusing on two Republican moderates, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, hoping to turn them against Trump's selection. — Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Brett Kavanaugh is President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court," 9 July 2018 Ayres, who aligns with GOP moderates, has pressed his party to broaden its appeal. — Bill Lambrecht, Houston Chronicle, "Immigration turmoil widens political divide, turns into political leverage," 22 June 2018 The very liberal want to hear more about social justice and DACA, while moderates, less so. — CBS News, "CBS News Battleground Tracker: A closer look at the parties," 3 June 2018 Or maybe former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could own a lane as a moderate who likes to talk about climate change. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "The comically large 2020 Democratic field, explained," 17 Dec. 2018 The stand underscored just how much Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat long known as a mild-mannered moderate, has embraced a newly combative persona — and is betting on fiery opposition to Trump as a key to his reelection this fall. — Jonathan Tamari, Philly.com, "Bob Casey won't consider Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh. GOP hopes to make him pay," 10 July 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.

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Last Updated

9 May 2019

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The first known use of moderate was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for moderate

moderate

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of moderate

(Entry 1 of 3)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of moderate (Entry 2 of 3)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of moderate (Entry 3 of 3)

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

See the full definition for moderate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

moderate

adjective

mod·er·ate | \ ˈmä-də-rət

Kids Definition of moderate

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

moderate

verb

mod·er·ate | \ ˈmä-də-ˌrāt

moderated; moderating

Kids Definition of moderate (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make or become less extreme or severe

moderate

adjective

mod·er·ate | \ ˈmäd-(ə-)rət

Medical Definition of moderate

(Entry 1 of 2)

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