moderates

IPA/mˈɒdəɹəts/
KK[mˈɑdɚəts]IPA/mˈɑːdərəts/

moderates — noun

1. people, especially in politics or public debate, whose views stay near the middl

1.nounB2
Definition

people, especially in politics or public debate, whose views stay near the middle instead of pushing for extreme change.

Example

Party moderates blocked the bill after voters objected at town meetings.

party moderates as a political group label

Younger moderates in Seoul want slower reform than the student radicals.

contrast: moderates vs radicals

Common collocations
  • party moderates
  • business moderates
  • church moderates
  • moderates in parliament
  • moderates within the movement
Synonyms
  • centrists

    closer to the political center specifically, often with an electoral focus

  • pragmatists

    emphasises practical compromise rather than ideology

  • reformists

    can still want clear change, but not revolutionary change

Antonyms
  • radicals

    people who push for much stronger or faster change

  • hardliners

    people who refuse compromise and hold stricter positions

Grammar Patterns

the moderates

moderates in [party/group]

[adjective] moderates

Usage Note

Usually names a group inside a larger movement, party, or church. Distinguish from the adjective 'moderate': this sense is a plural noun for the people themselves.

Common Mistakes

They are very moderates in the party.
They are party moderates.' / 'They are very moderate members of the party.
'moderates' is a plural noun here, not an adjective after 'be'.

moderates — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These labels all describe political attitudes, but they point in different directions. Moderates are people who prefer middle-ground positions and usually avoid the strongest proposals from either side. Centrists are even more clearly tied to the political center and may define themselves by balance between left and right. Pragmatists focus on what will work in practice; they may sound moderate, but their key idea is usefulness rather than ideology. Hardliners are the opposite of moderates: they resist compromise and often want a stricter or more extreme line. In a party meeting, moderates may back a compromise bill, while hardliners push for a tougher version.

moderates ↗centrists ↗pragmatistshardliners

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Moderates comes from the English word moderate, which traces back to Latin moderatus, from the verb moderari, meaning to keep within measure, control, or guide. English first used the base word for ideas of restraint and balance, then extended it to politics for people with middle-ground views. The -s form now serves both as the plural noun for those people and as the third-person singular form of the verb.