Synonym Chooser

How is the word immoderate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of immoderate are excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

immoderate spending

When can excessive be used instead of immoderate?

In some situations, the words excessive and immoderate are roughly equivalent. However, excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

excessive punishment

When is exorbitant a more appropriate choice than immoderate?

The synonyms exorbitant and immoderate are sometimes interchangeable, but exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

exorbitant prices

Where would extravagant be a reasonable alternative to immoderate?

While the synonyms extravagant and immoderate are close in meaning, extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

extravagant claims for the product

When would extreme be a good substitute for immoderate?

The meanings of extreme and immoderate largely overlap; however, extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

extreme shyness

In what contexts can inordinate take the place of immoderate?

The words inordinate and immoderate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

inordinate pride

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of immoderate And drinking any type of alcohol in any type of immoderate way can bring more than a shot of risks. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024 That would have put the celebration on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, a day traditionally marked by a big pancake supper and other immoderate and extravagant indulgences on the night before fasting and sobriety take over for Lent. Ruth Graham, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 The meat is juicy, salty and a little stringy, with a thick, craggy crust laced with an immoderate amount of black pepper. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024 Haley’s gift is to come across as a moderate while espousing immoderate views and surrounding herself with extremists. Sue Halpern, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2023 Mia got her gig and Lucia got her money; that final shot, in which the two best friends skip off together to make immoderate purchases, might be the closest thing White will ever give us to a happy ending. Time, 12 Dec. 2022 It’s long been argued that information disclosure initiatives like TRI compel polluters to scale back immoderate emissions for fear that their names might otherwise end up on the front page of The New York Times. Ava Kofman, oregonlive, 16 Dec. 2021 In my reading, Louie has been accused of immoderate desire, and the story is her response. Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 16 May 2021 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, isn’t their willingness to pursue traditional Democratic goals by immoderate methods but their embrace of radical progressivism. Barton Swaim, WSJ, 12 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immoderate
Adjective
  • Those not able to cash in, however, see the program as one of two things: a genuine offer hamstrung by excessive red tape, or a half-hollow gesture meant to rack up free PR in the midst of a historic disaster.
    Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Progressive reformers viewed this as a modern evil just like unsafe working conditions and the excessive power of trusts.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Even as Arrowhead was becoming an NFL icon and fans were animating the scene with such feats as a 156-game sellout streak, extreme tailgating and reclaiming in 2014 the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar (142.2 decibels) at a sports stadium, the Arrowhead mystique, alas, was a myth.
    Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The maneuver takes place as Paramount is under extreme pressure to cut millions of dollars from its operating costs.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Archaeologists found the artwork in the floor of an extravagant mansion in Pompeii known as the House of the Faun in 1831.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Top 3 Can't Miss Known for its extravagant events featuring LGBTQ+ icons, Nemacolin is a resort to experience at least once.
    Jared Ranahan, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • One helicopter, the Guardian 1, used heat sensors to identify the group of three men who had become stranded with injuries on a steep section of the mountain crowded by tall trees.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2025
  • Cherry tomatoes and avocados saw the steepest price increases at 11.9% and 11.5%, respectively, because of unfavorable growing conditions, according to Wells Fargo.
    Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Your voice is insane.
    Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com, al, 4 Apr. 2023
  • But obviously winning the grand jury prize was insane.
    Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2023

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Thesaurus Entries Near immoderate

Cite this Entry

“Immoderate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immoderate. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on immoderate

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