temper

Vocabulary Word

Definition

Although 'temper' often refers to someone's mood, particularly when they're angry, it can also mean to soften or moderate something. If you 'temper' your expectations, for instance, you adjust them to be more reasonable.

Examples in Different Contexts

In business negotiations, 'temper' can refer to moderating demands or expectations. A negotiator might say, 'We need to temper our expectations given the current market conditions.'

Practice Scenarios

Impact

Scenario:

Pushing for radical change is good, but we have to consider how it might appear to those on the fence about our cause.

Response:

I agree, for the best results, we should temper our approach to avoid alienating potential supporters.

Business

Scenario:

Our growth projections for next quarter might be overly optimistic given recent changes in the market.

Response:

Thinking realistically, we should temper our growth projections with the market uncertainties in mind.