moderation vs step-down

moderation and step-down both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
moderation	Yes	No	No	No
step-down	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, step-down is a hypernym of moderation; that is, step-down is a word with a broader meaning than moderation:

Other hypernyms of moderation include decrease, diminution, reduction.

moderation (noun)	step-down (noun)
the action of lessening in severity or intensity	the act of decreasing or reducing something
quality of being moderate and avoiding extremes
the trait of avoiding excesses
a change for the better