MODERATE Synonyms: 236 Similar and Opposite Words

moderate 1 of 3

adjective

ˈmä-d(ə-)rət

as in temperate

avoiding extremes in behavior or expression he was only a moderate drinker, generally stopping after a couple of glasses of wine

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Relevance

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as in central

avoiding major social change or extreme political ideas the principal's moderate position on cell phones is that students can use them at school but only for emergencies

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as in average

being about midway between extremes of amount or size a moderate snowfall was forecast for the region

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as in mild

marked by temperatures that are neither too high nor too low a city that is celebrated for its moderate climate

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moderate

2 of 3

noun

ˈmä-d(ə-)rət

as in centrist

a person who holds moderate views to the community's detriment, moderates were often shouted down at town meetings by the local hotheads

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moderate

3 of 3

verb

ˈmä-də-ˌrāt

as in to decrease

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the wind began to moderate as the night wore on

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Examples 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 moderate

Adjective

But Wied's victory also means the northeastern seat will be represented by someone who stands in stark contrast to Gallagher, who was one of Congress' top foreign policy experts and largely seen as among the more moderate Republicans in the current Congress. —

Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024 Gonzalez, who defeated Flores in the November midterms of that year by more than eight points, remains a moderate Democrat in a district increasingly focused on border security. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

The billionaire — who has signed at least two pledges to support Harris, one featuring prominent former and current business executives and another designed for venture capitalists — has promoted the vice president as staunchly pro-business and a political moderate. —

William Gavin, Quartz, 20 Sep. 2024 Dueling Facebook and social media pages, including Granbury Breaking News, are filled with slights and grievances between far-right Republicans — known as sharks — and moderates, referred to as whales. —

Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024

Verb

Posts about the Big Lie—the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen—were initially moderated with fact-checking labels, but these were scaled back dramatically before the 2022 midterms, purportedly because users disliked them. —

Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024 And International Markets News Kani Releasing Acquires North America Rights To Japanese Cannes Directors' Fortnight Title 'Desert Of Namibia' The panel was moderated by the Tokyo fest’s programming director Shozo Ichiyama. —

Sara Merican, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for moderate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for moderate

Adjective

Some Indigenous leaders say NOAA’s tribal consultation process fell short, but most agree the sanctuary is a step forward for conservation of the ocean, which provides Californians food, a temperate climate and recreation.

Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
On a temperate afternoon at London’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Barbora Krejčíková of the Czech Republic and Jasmine Paolini of Italy both played their first Wimbledon singles final on Saturday, with Krejčíková, the 31-seed, winning the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

Vogue, Vogue, 13 July 2024