Synonym Chooser

How is the word immoderate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of immoderate are excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

When can excessive be used instead of immoderate?

In some situations, the words excessive and immoderate are roughly equivalent. However, excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

When is exorbitant a more appropriate choice than immoderate?

The synonyms exorbitant and immoderate are sometimes interchangeable, but exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

Where would extravagant be a reasonable alternative to immoderate?

While the synonyms extravagant and immoderate are close in meaning, extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

When would extreme be a good substitute for immoderate?

The meanings of extreme and immoderate largely overlap; however, extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

In what contexts can inordinate take the place of immoderate?

The words inordinate and immoderate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of immoderate And drinking any type of alcohol in any type of immoderate way can bring more than a shot of risks. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024 That would have put the celebration on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, a day traditionally marked by a big pancake supper and other immoderate and extravagant indulgences on the night before fasting and sobriety take over for Lent. Ruth Graham, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 The meat is juicy, salty and a little stringy, with a thick, craggy crust laced with an immoderate amount of black pepper. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024 Haley’s gift is to come across as a moderate while espousing immoderate views and surrounding herself with extremists. Sue Halpern, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2023 Mia got her gig and Lucia got her money; that final shot, in which the two best friends skip off together to make immoderate purchases, might be the closest thing White will ever give us to a happy ending. Time, 12 Dec. 2022 It’s long been argued that information disclosure initiatives like TRI compel polluters to scale back immoderate emissions for fear that their names might otherwise end up on the front page of The New York Times. Ava Kofman, oregonlive, 16 Dec. 2021 In my reading, Louie has been accused of immoderate desire, and the story is her response. Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 16 May 2021 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, isn’t their willingness to pursue traditional Democratic goals by immoderate methods but their embrace of radical progressivism. Barton Swaim, WSJ, 12 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immoderate
Adjective
  • Private equity can have expensive structures, excessive fees, long lock-up periods, and valuations that are notoriously stale—making liquidity (getting money out), and performance (assessing the actual performance) more opaque for investors.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • But around 50% of students feel that excessive reliance on AI could harm their academic performance, according to research from the Digital Education Council in 2024.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The costs of extreme weather, supply chain disruptions, and falling labor productivity are all visible on the horizon, with ample academic research to back them up.
    Justin Worland, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
  • The danger will remain at very high or extreme levels during the weekend and Monday, days when the heatwave affecting us since the beginning of the month continues.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • It is woven not from extravagant ingredients or ornate presentations, but from resourcefulness, memory, and above all, love.
    Sami Tamimi August 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
  • According to Denver District Attorney, John Walsh $1.3 million of 300 investors’ money went to fund the pastor’s and his wife's extravagant lifestyle which included a home renovation, luxury handbags, cosmetic dentistry and a Range Rover.
    Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Failure to comply can carry steep penalties, with fines ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.
    Sagi Eliyahu, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Even if a cold spell follows warm weather, if the temperature has already been stabilized at 58 to 60 degrees those same steep banks and dams on the downwind shore are spots to bet on.
    Anthony A. Ciuffa, Outdoor Life, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
  • The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.
    Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Immoderate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immoderate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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