Definition of moderate
1 a
:avoiding extremes of behavior or expression :observing reasonable limits
- a moderate drinker
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
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