Meanings
nounmoderation (countable and uncountable, plural moderations)
plural moderations
- countableuncountableThe state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes.
Moderation is a wiser policy than zealotry, I think.
2008, Christopher Paolini, “To Walk the Land Alone”, in Brisingr, page 753 more examples
...It regulates and governs the Passions of the Mind, and brings them into due moderation and frame...
1696, William Stephens, An Account of the Growth of Deism in England, page 17Mr. Chairman, at this moment I stand astonished at my own moderation!
1772, Robert Clive, http://books.google.com/books?id=twVuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA394America is a model of force and freedom and moderation - with all the coarseness and rudeness of its people.
1821 October 12, Lord Byron, http://books.google.com/books?id=5q4XBa5jsy8C&pg=PA7 - countableuncountableAn instance of moderating: bringing something away from extremes, especially in a beneficial way.
With the quick moderation of the weather some buying has appeared that had been held up because of the extremely cold weather […].
1936 March, The Southern Lumberman, page 34 - countableuncountableThe process of moderating a discussion.
The moderation of a large online forum can be hard work.
- countableuncountableUsage of neutron moderator to slow down neutrons in a nuclear reactor.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounquality of being moderate and avoiding extremes
Similar
Opposite
nounthe action of lessening in severity or intensity
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latin*med-der.?
- Latinmoderō
- Latinmoderātiō
- Old Frenchmoderacion
- Middle French[Term?]
- Englishmoderation
Borrowed from Middle French [Term?], from Old French moderacion, from Latin moderātiō. By surface analysis, moderate + ion.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μετριότης
- μετριότης (metriótēs)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Arabic اِعْتِدَال, إِشْرَاف
- اِعْتِدَال (iʕtidāl)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- إِشْرَاف (ʔišrāf)moderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Bulgarian умереност, сдържаност
- умереност (umerenost)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- сдържаност (sdăržanost)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- модерация (moderacija)moderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Catalan moderació
- moderacióstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Chinese Mandarin 適度 /适度
- 適度 /适度 (shìdù)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Czech umírněnost
- umírněnoststate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Danish moderation, mådehold
- moderationstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- mådeholdstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Finnish maltillisuus, kohtuus
- maltillisuusstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- kohtuusinstance of moderating; to bring away from extremes
French modération, modération
- modérationstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- modérationinstance of moderating; to bring away from extremes
German Maßhalten, Mäßigung
- Maßhaltenstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- Mäßigunginstance of moderating; to bring away from extremes
- Diskussionsleitungmoderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Greek μέτρο
- μέτρο (métro)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Hebrew פיקוח
- פיקוח (pikúakh)moderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Indonesian kelunakan, moderasi
- kelunakanstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- moderasistate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- moderasimoderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Italian moderazione, moderazione
- moderazionestate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- moderazioneinstance of moderating; to bring away from extremes
- moderazionemoderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Korean 절제, 완화
- 절제 (jeolje)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- 완화 (wanhwa)instance of moderating; to bring away from extremes
- 사회 (sahoe)moderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Latin modestia, temperantia
- modestiastate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- temperantiastate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Malay penyederhanaan
- penyederhanaanstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Norwegian Bokmål moderasjon
- moderasjonstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Polish umiar, wstrzemięźliwość
- umiarstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- wstrzemięźliwośćstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- moderacjamoderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Portuguese moderação
- moderaçãostate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Romanian moderație, cumpătare
- moderațiestate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- cumpătarestate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- moderareinstance of moderating; to bring away from extremes
- prezidaremoderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
- regularemoderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Spanish moderación
- moderaciónstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Swedish måtta, återhållsamhet
- måttastate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- återhållsamhetstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- hejdstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- måttfullhetstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
- modereringmoderating a discussion: supervision; mediation
Turkish itidal
- itidalstate or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Ukrainian поміркованість
- поміркованість (pomirkovanistʹ)state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with moderation
informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
moderation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moderation
MLA
“moderation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moderation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moderation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moderation.
Source: moderation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.