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

And so far, the Democratic establishment is riding high in these locales, getting the more moderate candidates the DCCC believes it needs to win in the fall in districts such as Colorado 6, where the establishment choice won on Tuesday. — NBC News, "Bernie Sanders-backed nominees score wins, but in longshot races," 1 July 2018 Along this particular continuum, Democrats won the House, thanks in part to the success of moderate candidates in their party. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "Ousted Rep. Joe Crowley the latest lawmaker 'supposed to be' House Speaker," 1 July 2018 The success of moderate candidates in the Democratic primaries suggests this is making the party more pragmatic and mindful of party unity than Mr Sanders, an ideologue who is not a Democratic Party member, might like. — The Economist, "Berned out," 7 June 2018 This top two primary was an attempt to allow moderate candidates to advance, but that isn't happening. — Angela Hart, sacbee, "Four takeaways from the California governor's race," 6 June 2018 California's no-party top-two primary system is supposed to upend the stranglehold the two parties -- Republicans and Democrats -- have on American politics and give more moderate candidates a shot at office. — Z. Byron Wolf, CNN, "If the country used California's weird primary system, Trump probably wouldn't be President," 2 June 2018 Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images Some Democrats have long thought the best strategy in places like Irvine, where Republicans have historically dominated, is to run moderate candidates who can peel off centrist voters. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "Single-payer’s big test: can Medicare-for-all win in competitive House districts?," 1 June 2018 In the end, Lizzie Fletcher, a lawyer with a Houston firm, and the more moderate candidate, soundly beat her opponent, Laura Moser. — David Lauter, latimes.com, "Trump discovers, once again, that the job isn't as easy as he thought," 25 May 2018 For Republicans, the poster children of factional fights might have been the candidates for Texas House District 8, where Thomas McNutt, a conservative who lost the primary two years ago, was up against a more moderate candidate, Cody Harris. — Ross Ramsey, star-telegram, "It's Valdez-Abbott for governor, but the main attraction in November will be O'Rourke vs. Cruz," 23 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But other natural factors, such as trees and plants, moderate the air temperature, too. — Science Buddies, Scientific American, "Warm in the Sun," 12 July 2018 Trump has moderated his language somewhat since taking office, but has continued to dwell on the issue, even as many NATO members have agreed to up their spending. — Jonathan Lemire And Jill Colvin, chicagotribune.com, "In combative start to NATO visit, Trump claims Germany 'totally controlled' by Russia," 11 July 2018 Trump has moderated his language somewhat since taking office, but has continued to dwell on the issue, even as many NATO members have agreed to up their spending. — Jonathan Lemire And Jill Colvin, Fox News, "Trump claims Germany 'controlled' by Russia," 11 July 2018 While campaigning this year, AMLO moderated his positions to appeal to the middle class and to people in northern border regions who would be uneasy voting for a candidate on the left. — David Agren, USA TODAY, "Mexico elects left-leaning populist as president by wide margin," 2 July 2018 After 12 years of near-permanent campaigning, Lopez Obrador moderated his message somewhat in both substance and style. — Mark Stevenson, Peter Orsi And Christopher Sherman, Houston Chronicle, "Mexico's Lopez Obrador claims historic win, broad mandate," 2 July 2018 After 12 years of near-permanent campaigning, López Obrador moderated his message somewhat in both substance and style. — The Christian Science Monitor, "Mexico elects leftist López Obrador as president," 2 July 2018 While Romney was an outspoken critic of Trump during much of the 2016 presidential campaign, he’s since moderated his stance and accepted the president’s endorsement in February. — Arit John, Bloomberg.com, "New York Voters to Settle Intra-Party Fights for November Ballot," 26 June 2018 The panel, moderated by Webster, included McCorduck; Mary Shaw, a renowned computer science professor at CMU; and Julia Parsons, who graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1942 and worked as a codebreaker for the Navy during WWII. — Aaron Aupperlee, The Seattle Times, "Enigma machine collection recalls computer science victory," 23 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Saltzman is perceived as a political moderate with an independent streak. — Gordon R. Friedman, OregonLive.com, "Hardesty, Smith in runoff for Portland City Council seat," 15 May 2018 The Maine moderate has also voted for many on the president’s Supreme Court short list when they were nominated for lower court positions, including Kavanaugh. — Liz Goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Susan Collins is no maverick with GOP judicial nominees," 10 July 2018 In January, the progressive faction of the board out maneuvered the moderates and removed Breed from the job of acting mayor in favor of Mark Farrell. — Trisha Thadani, SFChronicle.com, "Cohen’s goal for SF Board of Supervisors’ presidency — a sense of stability," 10 July 2018 His progressive campaign delivered a decisive victory Tuesday over the establishment’s candidate, emphasizing a rift between the Democrats’ left flank and the moderates who have traditionally defined the party in Maryland. — Erin Cox, baltimoresun.com, "Will Ben Jealous pull Maryland Democrats together or apart?," 29 June 2018 But the moderates leading the discharge petition drive caved when leaders promised a vote on a moderate alternative to the Goodlatte bill. — Sarah Binder, Washington Post, "Immigration boiled over last week. Here’s what Congress did — and why.," 25 June 2018 The tactic that the moderates had on their side is one with a long history of spurring action among House majority party leaders: the discharge petition. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, "The Old-School Trick That Finally Pushed the House to Move on Immigration," 13 June 2018 The moderates want votes on four bills, including measures by conservatives and liberals. — Alan Fram, The Christian Science Monitor, "Allowing path to citizenship for Dreamers proves divisive within GOP," 24 May 2018 Republicans also must win the votes of two of their own moderates. — Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, "Senate’s First Skirmish Over Supreme Court Pick Brett Kavanaugh: How Quickly to Move," 11 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.

History and Etymology for moderate

Adjective

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

Verb

see moderate entry 1

Noun

see moderate entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near moderate

Phrases Related to moderate

in moderation

voice of moderation

Statistics for moderate

Last Updated

10 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for moderate

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