untempered

adjective

un·​tem·​pered ˌən-ˈtem-pərd 

: not tempered: such as

a

: not moderated or made less extreme

… a devotion to universal values untempered by any respect for the concrete well-being of men and women.

—Zygmunt Bauman

b

: not brought to a proper consistency

untempered mortar

Examples of untempered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many sport-governance failures stem not from apathy but ardent facilitators untempered by oversight. — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 4 Dec. 2025

Clara and Riley — with their big hearts and weak armor, untempered by irony, vulnerable to the catastrophes of disillusionment — might as well be our patron saints. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025

How Frankenstein demonstrates the downside of a science untempered by humanity. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025

The overnight attack – which saw Tehran launch a series of strikes at Israel over a five-hour period – threatens to tip the crisis in the Middle East into an untempered regional war. — Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024

In most cases, this is likely a result of untempered harassment. — Solo Ceesay, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2023

Unapologetic and untempered, each scene serves to break from long-tired tropes. — Holly Jones, Variety, 15 Oct. 2023

Earlier this year, Ketanji Brown Jackson faced untempered and blatantly racist vitriol during her confirmation hearings as the nominee to become the first Black woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court justice. — Ebony Flake, Essence, 15 Dec. 2022

The pairing of Johnson’s bottle-neck guitar and Gray’s slippery steel guitar made for a unique, untempered sound. Without Markiton or Leigh, Delta Moon depended on Gray’s rough-hewn voice to carry the vocals, a voice that became more sandpapery with age. — Bo Emerson, ajc, 19 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for untempered

• distempered
• tempered