What does "tempered" mean?
simple past and past participle of temper
Tempered
adj, verb
adj, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: simple past and past participle of temper
- Grammar: tempered is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hardened, toughened, aged, annealed.
- Useful contrasts: untempered, anneal, annealed.
- Usage evidence: Portia tempered justice with mercy.
How to use "tempered"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tempered" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tempered" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tempered" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tempered" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tempered" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hardened" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tempered", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 simple past and past participle of temper form-of, participle, past
Adjective
- 1 Having a specified disposition or temper. in-compounds, not-comparable
"even-tempered"
- 2 Pertaining to the metallurgical process for finishing metals. not-comparable
""Not forged!" and snatching Perth's levelled iron from the crotch, Ahab held it out, exclaiming — "Look ye, Nantucketer; here in this hand I hold his death! Tempered in blood, and tempered by lightning are these barbs; and I swear to temper them triply in that hot place behind the fin, where the white whale most feels his accursed life!""
- 3 Pertaining to the industrial process for toughening glass, or to such toughened glass. not-comparable
- 4 Moderated or balanced by other considerations. not-comparable
"The downcast eye, the rosy blush, the retiring grace, are all proper in their season; but modesty, being the child of reason, cannot long exist with the sensibility that is not tempered by reflection."
- 5 Pertaining to the well-tempered scale, where the twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard are tuned in such a way that it is possible to play music in any major or minor key and it will not sound perceptibly out of tune. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 adjusted or attuned by adding a counterbalancing element wordnet
- 2 made hard or flexible or resilient especially by heat treatment wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Portia tempered justice with mercy."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tempered"?
Common synonyms include: hardened, toughened, aged, annealed, belligerent, calibrate.
How do you use "tempered" in a sentence?
Portia tempered justice with mercy.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English tempred, itempered, ytempred, ytemprid, from Old English ġetemprod (“tempered, moderate, goverened, cured”), past participle of Old English ġetemprian (“to temper, moderate, govern, cure”), equivalent to temper + -ed.
Etymology 2
Partly from Middle English temperd, temprede, from Old English temprode, first and third person singular preterit of Old English temprian; and partly from Middle English tempred, i-tempred, from Old English ġetemprod. Equivalent to temper + -ed.