1. Heating and slow cooling of a material that alters the properties to increase ductility and reduce hardness, making it more workable or to increase toughness
   "The tempering of the metal parts improved their durability";
   - annealing

1. Moderating by making more temperate
   "The tempering influence of experience softened his radical views"

1. Make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else
   "she tempered her criticism";
   - season, mollify, moderate
    
2. Change by restraining or moderating
   "Experience tempered her youthful idealism";
   - chasten
    
3. Bring to a desired consistency, texture, or hardness by a process of gradually heating and cooling
   "temper glass";
   - anneal, normalize, normalise [Brit]
    
4. Harden by reheating and cooling in oil
   "temper steel";
   - harden
    
5. Adjust the pitch (of pianos)
   "The piano tuner tempered the instrument before the concert"

Derived forms: temperings

See also: moderating

Type of: adjust, alter, change, correct, harden, hardening, indurate, modify, set, weaken

Encyclopedia: Tempering