intemperate
If a climate is intemperate, its temperatures might be extreme. If a person is intemperate, his moods might be extreme. Being intemperate is all about avoiding moderation.
Intemperate is a combination of the prefix in- meaning "not" and the Latin temperantia meaning "moderation." When you are intemperate, you are not doing things in moderation; you lack self-control. It's often a word used when describing the tendency someone has to indulge excessively in liquor. An alcoholic is intemperate — overindulging and depending on alcohol.
-
excessive in behavior“intemperate rage”
-
Synonyms:
-
intense
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
-
immoderate
beyond reasonable limits
-
big, heavy
prodigious
-
Antonyms:
-
temperate
not extreme in behavior
-
mild
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
-
moderate
being within reasonable or average limits; not excessive or extreme
-
abstemious, light
marked by temperance in indulgence
-
moderate, restrained
marked by avoidance of extravagance or extremes
- show more antonyms...
-
intense
-
given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors
-
(of weather or climate) not mild; subject to extremes“an intemperate climate”“intemperate zones”
-
Synonyms:
-
inclement
(of weather or climate) severe
-
Antonyms:
-
temperate
(of weather or climate) free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate
-
clement
(of weather or climate) physically mild
-
cold-temperate
the colder parts of temperate waters
-
equable
not varying
- show more antonyms...
-
inclement
Vocabulary lists containing intemperate
In this travelogue, Twain recounts his journey through Europe and the Holy Land.
Members of a family fight to receive an inheritance while also protecting dark secrets and navigating romantic entanglements. Read the full text here.
Look up intemperate for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
