tempering

verb

present participle of temper
1
as in annealing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in softening

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempering
  1. annealing
  2. softening
  3. hardening
  4. moderating
  5. toughening
  6. lightening
  7. mitigating
  8. alleviating
Verb
  • The telecom giant plans to use D-Wave’s quantum annealing technology to tackle complex optimization problems across its network operations.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 July 2026
  • Over the next five years, real value will come from applying quantum principles, such as annealing and probabilistic optimization, to supply chains, finance and logistics before fault-tolerant quantum arrives.
    — Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 12 Feb. 2026
Definition of annealing
Verb
  • Now, parts and service departments and finance and insurance packages are becoming more important sources of profit for car dealers, as profits from new vehicle sales show signs of softening.
    — Robert Ferris, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to softening the shape, Zurek also explored new types of leathers and finishes.
    — Talia Abbas, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of softening
Verb
  • These rules manifest as algorithms, AI models, platforms, technological infrastructure and social convention, hardening through use into the conditions of cultural life.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The state needs to have programs to help incentivize and help subsidize these hazard mitigation measures and home hardening measures.
    — John Ramos, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of hardening
Verb
  • His interest in moderating panels was sparked a couple of years ago by another panelist and the encouragement of his friends.
    — Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Allison Joyce | Bloomberg | Getty Images A key inflation reading Wednesday showed prices moderating across a range of goods and services, possibly taking the urgency out of an imminent interest rate hike.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of moderating
Verb
  • The tender side of Strout is her hopefulness—and that may be toughening up.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
  • In the nineties, hip-hop was toughening up the sound of American popular music; Jackson, fey and theatrical, seemed increasingly distant from the cultural mainstream.
    — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of toughening
Verb
  • When temperatures exceed 110°F, passenger planes must consider lightening their loads.
    — John Vaillant, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
  • See what the experts had to say about lightening your hair without bleach below.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 28 July 2026
Definition of lightening
Verb
  • The health care company could develop Keytuda co-formulations that would extend the tail of the brand-name drug's franchise, mitigating the impact of that patent expiration, according to the analyst.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Later this year, eSafety will release a transparency report detailing how successful online gaming services like Roblox have been at mitigating harms to kids.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of mitigating
Verb
  • Europe’s efforts are for now too modest, too regulated, too fragmented, and too focused on alleviating government restrictions rather than promoting commercial use to fundamentally change dependencies that have accumulated over decades.
    — Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In 2021, in hopes of alleviating economic pressures during the pandemic, Congress passed legislation eliminating premiums for people with the lowest incomes and reduced the cost for people with higher incomes.
    — Robert Applebaum, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of alleviating
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tempered
tempering
tempers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tempering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempering. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tilde

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All