Synonyms for moderation
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
2. Temperance
temperance, abstinence, mildness, sobriety, calmness, sedateness
Other
restraint, frugality, mitigation, medium, abatement, moderateness, measure dated, mediocrity dated
Definitions
- n. 1
The state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes.
Mr. Chairman, at this moment I stand astonished at my own moderation!
- n. 2
An instance of moderating: bringing something away from extremes, especially in a beneficial way.
Related words
- Word family
- moderate moderateness
Forms
- Plural
- moderations → easings, reliefs, temperances, abstinences…
Choose the right word
Abstinence from food commonly signifies going without; abstemiousness, partaking moderately; abstinence may be for a single occasion, abstemiousness is habitual moderation.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- abstinence The church teaches abstinence before marriage.
- temperance We ought to look to temperance, the leader of all virtue.
- restraint She was angry, but she spoke with restraint.
- frugality Frugality with diligence builds houses like castles.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| moderation | steady | |
| abstinence | rising | |
| temperance | steady | |
| restraint | falling | |
| frugality | steady | |
| moderateness | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 6 letters
- medium3, relief2, easing2
- 7 letters
- measure2
- 8 letters
- sobriety4, calmness2, mildness
- 9 letters
- restraint2, abatement3, frugality4
- 10 letters
- mitigation4, abstinence3, temperance3, mediocrity5, sedateness
- 12 letters
- moderateness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (medium3 = 3 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- modération
- Italiano
- moderazione
- Deutsch
- Mäßigung