tempered Meaning & Definition
What Does Tempered Mean?
As an adjective, tempered means Having a specified disposition or temper. It is also used to mean Pertaining to the metallurgical process for finishing metals. As a verb, it means simple past and past participle of temper. As a verb, it means To moderate or control.
Quick Facts About Tempered
| Part of speech | adjective, verb |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | hardened, diluted and qualified |
| Antonyms | untempered and unhardened |
Tempered Definition (Adjective)
- Having a specified disposition or temper.
even-tempered
- Pertaining to the metallurgical process for finishing metals.
- Pertaining to the industrial process for toughening glass, or to such toughened glass.
- Moderated or balanced by other considerations.
- 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.
Tempered as a Verb
- simple past and past participle of temper
Adjective
- (in combination) Having a specified disposition or temper.
Verb
- To moderate or control.
Temper your language around children.
- To strengthen or toughen a material, especially metal, by heat treatment; anneal.
Tempering is a heat treatment technique applied to metals, alloys, and glass to achieve greater toughness by increasing the strength of materials and/or ductility. Tempering is performed by a controlled reheating of the work piece to a temperature below its lower eutectic critical temperature.
- To sauté spices in ghee or oil to release essential oils for flavouring a dish in South Asian cuisine.
- To mix clay, plaster or mortar with water to obtain the proper consistency.
- To adjust, as the mathematical scale to the actual scale, or to that in actual use.
- (Latinism) To govern; to manage.
- To combine in due proportions; to constitute; to compose.
- To mingle in due proportion; to prepare by combining; to modify, as by adding some new element; to qualify, as by an ingredient; hence, to soften; to mollify; to assuage.
- To fit together; to adjust; to accommodate.
Synonyms of Tempered
Tempered synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Tempered
Tempered in a Sentence
even-tempered
Temper your language around children.
Tempering is a heat treatment technique applied to metals, alloys, and glass to achieve greater toughness by increasing the strength of materials and/or ductility. Tempering is performed by a controlled reheating of the work piece to a temperature below its lower eutectic critical temperature.
Word Forms & Grammar
tempered (not comparable)
tempered
Origin of Tempered
Origin 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.
Origin 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.
Questions People Ask About Tempered
Is tempered an adjective or a verb?
Tempered is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for tempered?
You can replace tempered with words such as hardened, diluted and qualified. See the full list of tempered synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of tempered?
The opposite of tempered can be expressed with words like untempered and unhardened.