temperateness

temperateness — noun

1. the practice of keeping your desires, habits, and actions within balanced, reaso

1.nounC1
Definition

the practice of keeping your desires, habits, and actions within balanced, reasonable limits — not eating, drinking, or behaving too much or too often.

Example

The elderly monk practiced temperateness in all things, eating only two simple meals each day.

temperateness in + noun phrase

Her temperateness at the banquet impressed the hosts — she took one small portion of each dish and stopped there.

Common collocations
  • practice temperateness
  • temperateness in diet
  • temperateness in habits
  • show temperateness
  • value temperateness
Synonyms
  • moderation

    More common than 'temperateness'; used in everyday contexts for reasonable limits in all areas.

  • restraint

    Focuses more on holding back a specific impulse rather than a general lifestyle of balance.

  • self-control

    Emphasizes personal discipline and willpower; more common in psychology and self-help.

Antonyms
  • excess

    The opposite quality — doing or having too much of something.

  • indulgence

    Giving in freely to desires without limit; less extreme than 'excess'.

Grammar Patterns

temperateness in + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Uncountable noun — never used with 'a' or 'an'. Frequently paired with the preposition 'in' followed by a noun phrase describing the area of moderation (e.g. 'temperateness in eating').

Common Mistakes

She showed a temperateness in her behavior.
She showed temperateness in her behavior.
'temperateness' is uncountable and does not take 'a'.
He practiced temperateness of eating.
He practiced temperateness in eating.
the correct preposition is 'in', not 'of'.

2. the choice to drink no alcohol at all, or to drink only very small amounts — oft

2.nounC1
Definition

the choice to drink no alcohol at all, or to drink only very small amounts — often based on personal, moral, or health reasons.

Example

Faisal's commitment to temperateness meant that he never touched wine or beer at any social gathering.

temperateness meaning 'no alcohol at all'

The club's rules on temperateness allowed each member a single glass of wine during formal dinners.

Common collocations
  • believe in temperateness
  • practice temperateness
  • a tradition of temperateness
  • promote temperateness
  • temperateness regarding alcohol
Synonyms
  • temperance

    The standard and more common word for this specific meaning; 'temperateness' is rarer and more formal.

  • sobriety

    Emphasizes the state of not being drunk; also used for recovery from alcohol addiction.

  • abstinence

    A stricter term — means complete avoidance, not just moderation.

Antonyms
  • intemperance

    The formal opposite — habitual excessive drinking.

  • drunkenness

    The state of being drunk; more concrete and common.

Grammar Patterns

temperateness in + drinking / alcohol consumption

Usage Note

Historically associated with the temperance movement of the 19th–20th centuries. In modern use, 'temperateness' in this sense can refer either to total abstinence or to moderate drinking — context determines which. The adjective 'temperate' is more common than the noun in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

He believed in temperance and temperateness is the same thing.
Temperance' and 'temperateness' overlap in the alcohol sense, but 'temperance' is far more common for this specific meaning.
'temperance' is the usual word for alcohol moderation or abstinence; 'temperateness' sounds more formal or dated.
She had a temperateness about alcohol.
She practiced temperateness regarding alcohol.
use 'practice' or 'believe in' rather than 'have a'.

3. the ability to control your own emotions and reactions — especially feelings of

3.nounC2
Definition

the ability to control your own emotions and reactions — especially feelings of anger, excitement, or frustration — so that you do not say or do something extreme.

Example

Even when the customer shouted at her unfairly, Nadia showed remarkable temperateness and answered in a calm, low voice.

temperateness in the face of anger

The team leader's temperateness during the crisis prevented panic and kept everyone focused on the solution.

Common collocations
  • temperateness with one's temper
  • show temperateness
  • remarkable temperateness
  • natural temperateness
  • temperateness in the face of
Synonyms
  • composure

    Focuses on remaining calm under pressure; more common in descriptions of difficult situations.

  • self-restraint

    Deliberately stopping yourself from acting on an impulse; slightly more active than 'temperateness'.

  • equanimity

    Mental calmness even in difficult situations; a more poetic and less common word than 'temperateness'.

Antonyms
  • temper

    A quick, uncontrolled anger or bad mood — the opposite of emotional restraint.

  • impetuosity

    Acting suddenly without thought; doing things on impulse without self-control.

Grammar Patterns

temperateness in + noun/gerund (emotion, reaction)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 covers general lifestyle moderation (eating, spending, habits), while sense 3 is specifically about emotional reactions. This sense often collocates with words for strong feelings: 'anger', 'temper', 'frustration', 'excitement'.

Common Mistakes

He showed temperateness for his anger.
He showed temperateness with his anger.' or 'He showed temperateness in his anger.
the prepositions are 'with' or 'in', not 'for'.

4. the quality of weather or climate that is neither extremely hot nor extremely co

4.nounC1
Definition

the quality of weather or climate that is neither extremely hot nor extremely cold — pleasant, balanced conditions that are comfortable for most outdoor activities.

Example

The temperateness of the spring climate in Kyoto made long walks through the gardens a daily pleasure.

temperateness of + climate

Tourists visit the California coast year-round because of the temperateness of its mild, sunny weather.

Common collocations
  • temperateness of the climate
  • temperateness of the weather
  • famous for the temperateness
  • depend on the temperateness
Synonyms
  • mildness

    Much more common in everyday descriptions of weather; less formal than 'temperateness'.

  • moderation

    Can describe weather that is not extreme, but 'mild' is more typical.

Antonyms
  • extremity

    Severe, extreme weather — very hot or very cold conditions.

  • harshness

    Unpleasantly severe weather conditions, e.g. freezing winters or scorching summers.

Grammar Patterns

temperateness of + climate / weather

Usage Note

This is the only sense of 'temperateness' that describes a physical property of the environment rather than a human quality. 'Mildness' and 'moderation' are far more common for this meaning. 'Temperate climate' (adjective + noun) is much more frequent than the noun 'temperateness'.

Common Mistakes

The temperateness is good today.
The weather is temperate today.
'temperateness' is not used in casual weather chat; use 'temperate' or 'mild' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe keeping desires or actions within limits, but they differ in scope and commonness. 'Moderation' is the broadest and most everyday term — you can talk about moderation in eating, spending, drinking, or exercising. 'Restraint' focuses on the act of holding yourself back from a specific impulse, often in a single situation ('He showed great restraint by not shouting back'). 'Self-control' emphasizes the inner discipline and willpower needed to resist temptation; it is common in psychology and self-help contexts. 'Temperance' overlaps heavily with 'temperateness' but is far more frequent, especially for alcohol-related meanings. 'Temperateness' is the rarest of the four and sounds distinctly formal or literary. For everyday conversation, choose 'moderation' or 'self-control'; for a formal essay on virtues, 'temperateness' fits naturally.

moderation ↗restraint ↗self-control ↗temperance ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • temperateness in diet
  • temperateness of the climate

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'temperatus', the past participle of 'temperare' meaning 'to mix in due proportion, to regulate, to keep within limits'. The core idea is about mixing or blending things in the right amounts — just as a cook balances ingredients, a temperate person balances desires and emotions. The word entered English through French 'tempéré' in the 14th–15th centuries.