Definition of immoderatenext

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 Her apartment is lined with charmingly immoderate stacks of books, and morning coffee steams in a Yaddo mug. Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026 Still, abandoning my life in New York City and committing to the incalculable unknowns of being the resident baker at the South Pole was immoderate, even for me. Cree Lefavour, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026 This was accentuated by their immoderate use of black, putting the accent on cut and proportion. Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 12 Dec. 2025 Adult death is always strangely humiliating but this was something more, conceptually distressing, theoretically immoderate, elaborately unkind. Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immoderate
Adjective
  • The deputy ultimately pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights violation for excessive force.
    Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The experimentation with outdoor games is probably a thing of the past after Nebraska’s match against Missouri at Wrigley Field was delayed twice and finally suspended after just 18 points because of excessive moisture on the court.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Overdosing on the drug can cause extreme drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, decreased reflexes, respiratory depression, coma and possible death.
    Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • In the Rocky Mountains, years of extreme heat and drought have baked the landscape, drying up streams that feed the Colorado River and desiccating pastures where cattle graze.
    Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • But the love enduring at their center feels so profoundly misguided that even this extravagant tribute, arriving more than 150 years later, cannot entirely defend it.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • While some celebrity weddings are extravagant events, others are all about flying under the radar.
    Mariah Alanskas, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • For people feeling strapped by steep costs, the 60/30/10 budget can offer a more forgiving framework to follow.
    Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Putin, for his part, did not publicly signal any movement from his previous steep demands, which seek major concessions from Ukraine.
    Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • My first two videos each passed 100,000 views, which felt absolutely insane for a brand-new channel.
    Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The crack epidemic in America, especially in Bed-Stuy, was insane, so that really implanted into my brain.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Immoderate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immoderate. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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