moderation

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Keeping within limits

Nouns

1. moderation, moderateness, temperance, continence, temperateness, gentleness; self-restraint, self-control, asceticism, abstinence; teetotalism, soberness, sobriety; quiet, tranquillity, inexcitability; relaxation, abatement, remission, mitigation, tranquilization, assuagement, pacification; letup, alleviation; juste milieu, golden mean. See relief, decrease.

2. (that which moderates) sedative, palliative, lenitive, balm, opiate, anodyne; lullaby; moderator, temperer.

3. (moderate action) leniency, lenity, tolerance, toleration, clemency, pity; sweetness and light.

4. (nondrinker) abstainer, nondrinker, teetotaler, dry, Prohibitionist; designated driver; WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union), Anti-Saloon League, Alcoholics Anonymous.

Verbs

1. keep within bounds, sober up, settle down, keep the peace, relent; abstain, be temperate, take the pledge, swear off; hold one's temper, take it easy, go easy; pull in one's horns; detoxify. Informal, count to ten. Slang, hang loose, keep cool, chill [out]; detox.

2. moderate, soften, mitigate, temper, mollify, dull, blunt, subdue, chasten, tone down, lessen, check, palliate; tranquilize, assuage, appease, lull, soothe, still, calm, cool, quiet, hush, quell, sober, pacify, tame, allay, slacken, smooth, alleviate, deaden, smother; pour oil on troubled waters; cool off, tone down, taper off, ease off or up, let up.

3. tolerate, bear with; indulge, spare the rod; spare; give quarter; pity. Slang, pull one's punches; let one down easy.

Adjectives — moderate, lenient, gentle, easy, mild, soft, tolerant, easygoing, forbearing; sober, temperate, dry; tranquil, reasonable, tempered; tame, lulling, hypnotic, sedative, palliative. Informal, on the [water] wagon; laid-back.

Adverbs — moderately, gingerly, within bounds or reason.

Phrases — less is more; moderation in all things; keep no more cats than will catch mice; enough is as good as a feast.

Quotations — We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down (Aneurin Bevan), Moderation in all things (Terence), To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation (St. Augustine), Pure reason avoids extremes, and requires one to be wise in moderation (Molière), And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue! (Barry Goldwater), I see no objection to stoutness, in moderation (W. S. Gilbert), Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of habit (W. Somerset Maugham).

Antonyms, see violence, intemperance, drinking.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Restraint]

Syn. toleration, steadiness, sobriety, coolness, the golden mean, temperateness, quiet, temperance, lenity, patience, sedation, fairness, justice, constraint, forbearance, reasonableness, dispassionateness, poise, balance; see also restraint 1 .

2. [The act of moderating]

Syn. mediation, settlement, governance, regulation, restriction, limitation, reduction, controlling, assuagement, alleviation, composing, soothing, quieting, placating, sobering, tempering; see also restraint 2 .

Ant. increase*, license, misgovernance.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

temperance, happy medium, middle ground, discretion, restraint, judiciousness, forbearance, sobriety, golden mean. Nothing to excess.''—Anacharsis. The silken string running through the pearl—chain of all virtues.''—Thomas Fuller.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun Avoidance of extremes of opinion, feeling, or personal conduct: measure, moderateness, temperance. See EDGE.