mild

[ mahyld ]

/ maɪld /

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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.

Nearby words

milch, milch cow, milch glass, milchig, milchik, mild, mild mercurous chloride, mild silver protein, mild steel, milden, mildew

Origin of mild

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

SYNONYMS FOR mild

1 soft, pleasant. See gentle.

3 temperate, moderate, clement.

4 bland.

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ANTONYMS FOR mild

1 forceful.

3 severe.

6 harsh.

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Related forms

mild·ly, adverbmild·ness, nouno·ver·mild, adjectivesem·i·mild, adjective

sem·i·mild·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
Garner moved his arm away, a mild response in keeping with a man not known for violence.
Eric Garner Was Just a Number to Them|Michael Daly|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The new term denotes a spectrum of problem drinking that can range from mild to moderate to severe.
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TBIs can range anywhere from a mild concussion to catastrophic, fatal damage.
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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|DAILY BEAST
Is of a mild, genial disposition, with but little force of character.
Descriptive Catalogue of Photographs of North American Indians|W. H. Jackson
A mild and lovely day on our island but in the bay a breeze from the north that would have made our rowing to Seward difficult.
Wilderness, A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska|Rockwell Kent
The waters here are comparatively pure and the current mild.
Mary and I|Stephen Return Riggs
"No; but you shall learn to know me," said the man with the mild face, and with this he struck Nils a blow over one eye.
Arne: Early Tales and Sketches|Bjornstjerne Bjornson
The maid appeared at once, still looking very small and mild; but one glance told her that the worst was past.
The Diva's Ruby|F. Marion Crawford

British Dictionary definitions for mild

mild

/ (maɪld) /

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

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."

mild

adjective, mild·er, mild·est.

noun

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mild

adjective

noun

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mild

mild

noun

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mild

adjective

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Word Origin for mild

Word Origin and History for mild

mild

British Dictionary definitions for mild