gemässigten

Gemäßigten is the inflected form of the German adjective gemäßigt, meaning moderate. In political and social language, gemäßigten is commonly used to refer to moderate factions, positions, or people. It is not a standalone noun but a determiner-adjective combination that can function as a noun phrase when preceded by a definite article, translating roughly to “the moderates” in English.

Grammatically, gemäßigt forms the basis of the adjective meaning “moderate.” The ending -en appears in certain plural cases when the adjective is preceded by a definite article or other determiner (for example, die gemäßigten Kräfte or den gemäßigten Vorschriften). Thus gemäßigten is most often seen in contexts like accusative plural or dative plural phrases, such as die gemäßigten Parteien or den gemäßigten Kräften.

In usage, gemäßigten denotes centrists or moderate stances within a political spectrum. The term appears in parliamentary debates, election coverage, and policy discussions to distinguish who advocates tempered, compromise-oriented positions from those advocating more radical or extreme approaches. The label is value-neutral in itself but can carry evaluative nuance depending on context, tone, and accompanying descriptors.

Context and nuance vary by country and time. In German-speaking regions, moderates may be described as "gemäßigte Kräfte" or "gemäßigte Positionen," and the form gemäßigten specifically highlights the plural or case-specific application of the moderate group or positions.

Translation considerations include “the moderates,” “moderate factions,” or “centrist elements,” depending on grammatical case and syntactic role. Related terms include gemäßigt (moderate), Mitte or Zentrismus (centrism), and moderater Flügel (moderate wing).