moderate

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Being within reasonable limits; not excessive or extreme: a moderate price.
2. adj. Not violent or subject to extremes; mild or calm; temperate: a moderate climate.
3. adj. Of medium or average quantity or extent.
4. adj. Of limited or average quality; mediocre.
5. adj. Opposed to radical or extreme views or measures, especially in politics or religion.
6. n. One who holds or champions moderate views or opinions, especially in politics or religion.
7. v. To lessen the violence, severity, or extremeness of.
8. v. To preside over: She was chosen to moderate the convention.
9. v. To become less violent, severe, or extreme; abate.
10. v. To act as a moderator.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To reduce the amount or intensity of; lessen; reduce; restrain; specifically, to reduce from a large amount or great degree to a medium quantity or intensity: as, to moderate the heat of a room; to moderate one's anger, ardor, or passions.
2. To decide as a moderator; judge.
3. Synonyms To mitigate, abate, appease, pacify, quiet, assuage, soothe, soften.
4. To become less violent, severe, rigorous, or intense: as, the storm begins to moderate.
5. To preside as a moderator, as at a meeting.
6. Restrained; temperate; keeping within somewhat restricted limits in action or opinion; avoiding extremes or excess; thinking or acting soberly or temperately: as, to be moderate in all things; a moderate drinker.
7. Thinking, speaking, or acting with habitual slowness; very deliberate.
8. Of things, limited in extent, amount, or degree; not extreme, excessive, or remarkable; restricted; medium: as, moderate wealth or poverty; a moderate quantity; moderate opinions or ability; moderate weather or exercise.
9. Synonyms Moderate, Temperate, reasonable, judicious, mild. When used absolutely, moderate, nearly always refers to a person's temper or opinions, whereas temperate similarly used generally refers to a person's habits in respect to bodily indulgence: a moderate man is one who is not extreme in his views or violent in his sentiments; a temperate man, one who is not addicted to over-indulgence either in eating or in drinking.
10. n. One who is moderate in opinion or action; one who is opposed to extreme views or courses, especially in politics or religion. One of a political party in Spain: same as Moderado.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Not excessive; acting in moderation
2. adj. Mediocre
3. adj. Average priced; standard-deal
4. adj. US, politics Having an intermediate position between liberal and conservative.
5. n. politics One who holds an intermediate position between the extremes relevant in a political context
6. n. Similar middle-grounder in any other context.
7. v. transitive To reduce the excessiveness of (something)
8. v. intransitive To become less excessive
9. v. transitive To preside over (something) as a moderator
10. v. intransitive To act as a moderator; to assist in bringing to compromise

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Limited in quantity; sparing; temperate; frugal.
2. adj. Limited in degree of activity, energy, or excitement; reasonable; calm; slow.
3. adj. Not extreme in opinion, in partisanship, and the like.
4. adj. Not violent or rigorous; temperate; mild; gentle.
5. adj. Limited as to degree of progress.
6. adj. Limited as to the degree in which a quality, principle, or faculty appears.
7. adj. Limited in scope or effects.
8. n. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a party in the Church of Scotland in the 18th century, and part of the 19th, professing moderation in matters of church government, in discipline, and in doctrine.
9. v. To restrain from excess of any kind; to reduce from a state of violence, intensity, or excess; to keep within bounds; to make temperate; to lessen; to allay; to repress; to temper; to qualify
10. v. To preside over, direct, or regulate, as a public meeting or a discussion.
11. v. To become less violent, severe, rigorous, or intense.
12. v. To preside as a moderator.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. being within reasonable or average limits; not excessive or extreme
2. adj. not extreme
3. v. lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits
4. v. make less fast or intense
5. adj. marked by avoidance of extravagance or extremes
6. v. preside over
7. v. make less strong or intense; soften.
8. n. a person who takes a position in the political center
9. v. restrain.
10. v. make less severe or harsh