English Explanatory Dictionary

moderate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Not excessive; acting in moderation
  2. more than mild, less than severe
  3. Mediocre
  4. Average priced; standard-deal
  5. Not violent or rigorous; temperate; mild; gentle.
  6. Having an intermediate position between liberal and conservative.
noun
  1. One who holds an intermediate position between extremes, as in politics.
  2. One of a party in Scottish Church history dominant in the 18th century, lax in doctrine and discipline, but intolerant of evangelicalism and popular rights. It caused the secessions of 1733 and 1761, and its final resultant was the Disruption of 1843.
verb
  1. To reduce the excessiveness of (something).
  2. To become less excessive.
  3. To preside over (something) as a moderator.
  4. To act as a moderator; to assist in bringing to compromise.
  5. To supply with a moderator (substance that decreases the speed of neutrons in a nuclear reactor and hence increases likelihood of fission).

Pronunciation

/ˈmɒdəɹət/ mäd'ər-ət /ˈmɑdəɹət/ en-us-moderate-adj.ogg /ˈmɒdəɹeɪt/ mäd'ə-rāt /ˈmɑdəɹeɪt/ en-us-moderate-verb.ogg

Word forms

moderate more moderate most moderate moderates moderating moderated

Etymology

From Middle English moderat(e) (“moderate, temperate”), borrowed from Latin moderātus, perfect active participle of moderor (“to regulate, to restrain, to moderate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from moder-, modes-, a stem appearing also in modestus (“moderate, discreet, modest”), from modus (“a measure”); see mode and modest. Doublet of moderato. Displaced native Old English ġemetlīċ (“moderate”) and metegian (“to moderate”). Cognate with French modéré.

Synonyms

measured mellow middle of the road mild moderate nonexcessive nonextreme nonfanatic proper reasonable reasonous sober temperate tempered unexcessive unextreme middle-of-the-road accoy mitigate soften temper cool settle down ease off arbitrate chair

Antonyms

excessive

Related words

balanced suitable intermediate modal modality mode model moderator module

Derived words

moderate breeze moderately moderateness moderatism moderatist nonmoderate ultramoderate unmoderate automoderate metamoderate moderating moderation moderative nonmoderated overmoderate remoderate retromoderate unmoderated unmoderating
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