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

Start with coliving companies, which propose to help those of moderate means rent more efficiently, and often more inexpensively, via group housing and shared communal space. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Can tech outsmart the housing shortage?," 29 May 2018 His campaign says the contrast is not party fidelity but about authenticity, accusing Nelson of talking like a moderate but voting another way. — Alex Leary, miamiherald, "'Old reliable' Bill Nelson strives to define himself in U.S. Senate reelection battle | Miami Herald," 18 May 2018 Collins has a long-standing reputation as a moderate. — Julia Azari, Vox, "Collins’ speech shows that the guardrails were the problem all along," 6 Oct. 2018 Most of the workers emerged on their own and were treated for injuries ranging from minor to moderate, with two of them hospitalized in critical condition. — Aritz Parra, The Seattle Times, "1 dead, 11 injured in scaffolding collapse at Madrid hotel," 18 Sep. 2018 The study, published late last week in The Lancet, appears to contradict some health advice that suggests low-to-moderate drinking is fine and may even provide health benefits. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "There’s no risk-free amount of alcohol, population-level study finds," 27 Aug. 2018 Ivanka, who supposedly identifies as a moderate and has pledged to support women and children as a White House staffer, serves as senior advisor to the president. — Jenny Hollander, Marie Claire, "Trump's Meeting About The Border Crisis Is Just a Dozen Old White Men," 20 June 2018 In moderate climates, passive solar systems can help chase away the cold. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Build a Greenhouse," 28 Jan. 2019 Buffets provide a moderate amount of storage, and are great for laying out food for buffet-style dining (makes sense, right?). — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "How to Choose the Perfect Credenza," 19 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

It cohorts, Director/Co-Writer Hannah Pearl Utt and Co-Writer Jen Tullock, moderated by author and Marie Claire contributor Jo Piazza. — Sally Holmes, Marie Claire, "Judith Light Thinks We Need More 'Who's the Boss' in 2019," 30 Jan. 2019 That climb was moderated by a separate Labor Department report Thursday that showed prices for goods imported into the U.S. declined in November. — Daniel Kruger, WSJ, "U.S. Government Bonds Decline on Mixed Data," 13 Dec. 2018 Brown will also take over for Hardwick at San Diego Comic-Con this week, and will moderate the network’s Hall H panels for The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Yvette Nicole Brown will take over AMC’s aftershow for The Walking Dead," 14 July 2018 The local animals may get a little thin before the snow begins its final melt, but spring is not far off, and soon the temperatures will moderate. — John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, "In Interior Alaska, snow came late and then stuck around with a vengeance," 10 Apr. 2018 The debate, moderated by NBC’s Chuck Todd and co-hosted by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, begins at 6:30 p.m. It is scheduled to last 90 minutes. — Melanie Mason, latimes.com, "What time does the California governor's race debate start?," 8 May 2018 The debate, which will be co-moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, will be held at the Metropolitan Theatre in Morgantown, West Virginia from 6:30-7:30PM/ET. — Peter Doocy, Fox News, "Senate primary gets nasty: 'This is West Virginia, not NJ. We are respectable'," 25 Apr. 2018 Much of that owed to the format of Monday's debate, moderated by conservative WOWO radio personality Pat Miller. — Tony Cook, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana Senate race: Few policy differences, fewer attacks among Republicans in 3rd debate," 23 Apr. 2018 As part of that, her salary from moderating The View is estimated to be $5 million a year. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Whoopi Goldberg Battled Dyslexia and Drug Addiction Before Becoming a Movie Star," 8 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The grassroots movement is increasingly seeing divisions between its moderates and extremes. — Lori Hinnant, The Seattle Times, "French yellow vest movement dogged by intolerance, extremism," 29 Jan. 2019 Nationally, the ranks of moderates have thinned with the retirements of Sens. — David Sharp, The Seattle Times, "What is Dems’ quest to unseat Collins missing? A candidate," 28 Jan. 2019 But opposition to the wall goes well beyond the president’s liberal and Democratic adversaries: 55% of independents disapprove of it, as do 59% of moderates. — William A. Galston, WSJ, "Trump’s Pinned to a Wall Few Americans Want," 15 Jan. 2019 Ivanka’s stock went up, and she was widely perceived as someone who could tailor her father’s bluster into a message that younger women, moderates, and independents could get behind. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "Ivanka Trump's Curious Absence From the Midterm Campaign Trail," 29 Oct. 2018 Senators decline invitation to SCOTUS announcement The president will be trying to win the votes of moderates for his nominee, in particular, Sens. — CBS News, "Judge Brett Kavanaugh named Trump's second Supreme Court justice - live updates," 9 July 2018 But as a moderate who has a reputation of fighting with the far left in his own party, Cranley would probably have a tough time winning a primary. — Jason Williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX column: What's Mayor John Cranley's next step in politics? See which office it won't be," 22 June 2018 House Republicans will meet again Tuesday to try to find an immigration compromise -- with no resolution in sight that would unite the party’s divided factions -- as a group of GOP moderates are on the verge of forcing votes on various plans. — Anna Edgerton, Bloomberg.com, "House GOP Meets Again on Immigration as Deal Remains Elusive," 12 June 2018 Democrats also nominated moderates for governor in all three states—and all three won, by a margin of 1.3 million votes. — Gerald F. Seib, WSJ, "A Democratic Narrative Misses the Reality of 2018," 14 Jan. 2019

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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14 Mar 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