# moderate

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈmɒdəɹət/ · frequency rank #4,541

## Definitions
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.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **modulate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moderate-vs-modulate)
- **moderator** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moderate-vs-moderator)
- **moderately** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moderate-vs-moderately)

## Common misspellings (11)
`mdoerate`, `mmoderate`, `modderate`, `modearte`, `moderaet`, `moderatte`, `moderrate`, `modertae`, `modreate`, `moedrate`, `omderate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/moderate