What does tempering mean?
Tempering usually means making something less extreme, harsh, or intense. A person may temper anger, criticism, enthusiasm, or an argument, while a policy may temper the effects of a larger change. The word suggests moderation rather than abandonment: the emotion or condition remains, but its force is controlled. Tempering also has important technical meanings. In metallurgy, it is a controlled heat-treatment process used chiefly to improve the toughness of hardened steel and reduce brittleness. In confectionery, tempering chocolate involves carefully managing its temperature and crystallization so that it has a smooth texture and an appealing sheen. The ordinary figurative use comes from the older idea of mixing or blending materials in moderation. Together, these senses make tempering a useful word for describing acts of restraint, adjustment, and precise refinement.
To moderate or reduce the intensity, severity, or extreme character of something; in metallurgy or confectionery, to treat a material with carefully controlled heat or temperature.
"The revised schedule was intended to temper the impact of the new policy."
The figurative and technical senses are both standard in British and American English, although the technical senses normally require an explicit object such as steel or chocolate.
The act or process of tempering, including the moderation of intensity or the controlled treatment of a material.
"The gradual tempering of the steel improved its toughness."
The noun is uncommon in general speech and is chiefly used in technical or formal contexts. It is normally treated as an uncountable process rather than regularly pluralized.
The plural is rare; the process is usually expressed with the uncountable noun or with the phrase “instances of tempering.”
"The workshop documented several temperings of the same alloy."
Steelworkers can make metal harder with heat and tougher with a second, carefully controlled heating known as tempering.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tempering come from?
Tempering derives from temper, a word that entered Middle English through Anglo-French and ultimately Latin temperare, meaning “to mix, blend, or moderate.” Its cognates include temperament, temperamental, and tempera, the egg-based medium used in painting. Over time, the idea of mixing and regulating developed into the modern figurative sense of moderating emotion, behavior, or force.
Related word forms
How tempering is actually used
The figurative sense is common in formal and literary English, while the metallurgical and culinary senses are specialized. The word may imply restraint and measured control rather than the complete elimination of a feeling or condition.
Easily confused with tempering
Tempering means moderating something or treating it with controlled heat, whereas tampering means interfering with or altering something improperly.