mild

[mahyld]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mild ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, mild·er, mild·est.

amiably gentle or temperate in feeling or behavior toward others.

characterized by or showing such gentleness, as manners or speech: a mild voice.

not cold, severe, or extreme, as air or weather: mild breezes.

not sharp, pungent, or strong: a mild flavor.

not acute or serious, as disease: a mild case of flu.

gentle or moderate in force or effect: mild penalties.

soft; pleasant: mild sunshine.

moderate in intensity, degree, or character: mild regret.

British Dialect. comparatively soft and easily worked, as soil, wood, or stone.

Obsolete. kind or gracious.

noun

British. beer that has a blander taste than bitter.

Origin of mild

before 900; Middle English, Old English milde; cognate with German mild; akin to Greek malthakós soft

Related formsmild·ly, adverbmild·ness, nouno·ver·mild, adjectivesem·i·mild, adjectivesem·i·mild·ness, noun

Synonyms for mild

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mild ON THESAURUS.COM

1. soft, pleasant. See gentle. 3. temperate, moderate, clement. 4. bland.

Antonyms for mild

1. forceful. 3. severe. 6. harsh.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mild

tepid, delicate, peaceful, sunny, balmy, breezy, benign, warm, weak, calm, smooth, bland, mellow, moderate, soft, cool, temperate, subdued, tame, gentle

Examples from the Web for mild

Contemporary Examples of mild

Francis is well into his seventies, looks it, has a mild demeanor and soft speaking style; but his rhetoric is electrifying.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF
Jason Berry
December 21, 2014
The new term denotes a spectrum of problem drinking that can range from mild to moderate to severe.
Americans Drink Too Much, But We’re Not All Alcoholics
Gabrielle Glaser
November 25, 2014
TBIs can range anywhere from a mild concussion to catastrophic, fatal damage.
Understanding Tracy Morgan’s Traumatic Brain Injury
Jean Kim
November 20, 2014
And look at how mild her phrasing was: The South “has not always been the friendliest place” for black people.
Why You Can’t Tell the Truth About Race
Michael Tomasky
November 3, 2014
But the unknown potential health risks seem like a mild annoyance, if that, to Deen.
Dinner With James Deen During Porn’s Latest HIV Scare
Emily Shire
October 17, 2014

Historical Examples of mild

His countenance is mild and pleasant, and has a highly intellectual expression.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
There is hostility to it still, but mild as compared with that felt by our great-great-grandfathers.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
Nevertheless all of them are similar and have a mild, sweet flavor.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
But that mild and meek man had a certain strength of pertinacity.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
"A kleptomaniac," Smithson explained, retaining his manner of mild insistence.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana

British Dictionary definitions for mild

mild

adjective

(of a taste, sensation, etc) not powerful or strong; blanda mild curry

gentle or temperate in character, climate, behaviour, etc

not extreme; moderatea mild rebuke

feeble; unassertive

noun

British draught beer, of darker colour than bitter and flavoured with fewer hops

Derived Formsmildly, adverbmildness, noun

Word Origin for mild

Old English milde; compare Old Saxon mildi, Old Norse mildr

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mild

adj.

Old English milde "gentle, merciful," from Proto-Germanic *milthjaz- (cf. Old Norse mildr, Old Saxon mildi, Old Frisian milde, Middle Dutch milde, Dutch mild, Old High German milti, German milde "mild," Gothic mildiþa "kindness"), from PIE *meldh-, from root *mel- "soft," with derivatives referring to soft or softened materials (cf. Greek malthon "weakling," myle "mill;" Latin molere "to grind;" Old Irish meldach "tender;" Sanskrit mrdh "to neglect," also "to be moist"). Originally of persons and powers; of the weather from c.1400, of disease from 1744. Also in Old English as an adverb, "mercifully, graciously."