mild
Americanadjective
-
milder,
comparative
-
mildest
superlative
-
amiably gentle or temperate in feeling or behavior toward others.
- Antonyms:
- forceful
-
characterized by or showing such gentleness, as manners or speech.
a mild voice.
-
not cold, severe, or extreme, as air or weather.
mild breezes.
- Antonyms:
- severe
-
not sharp, pungent, or strong.
a mild flavor.
- Synonyms:
- bland
-
not acute or serious, as disease.
a mild case of flu.
-
gentle or moderate in force or effect.
mild penalties.
- Antonyms:
- harsh
-
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
adjective
-
(of a taste, sensation, etc) not powerful or strong; bland
a mild curry
-
gentle or temperate in character, climate, behaviour, etc
-
not extreme; moderate
a mild rebuke
-
feeble; unassertive
noun
Synonym Usage
See gentle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of mild
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English milde; cognate with German mild; akin to Greek malthakós “soft”
Explanation
A mild person is humble and meek — the opposite of bold. Mild things are also moderate in some way, like pleasantly mild weather or food that’s not spicy. Mild is the opposite of extreme. There’s nothing wild about mild. Mild comes from the Old English word milde for "gentle." Indeed, mild people are gentle. They don't brag or do cartwheels in supermarkets. They're mellow and submissive. Things can be mild too. Mild salsa doesn’t have many hot peppers. Mild can also mean slight, or small amount, as in a mild cold that doesn’t keep you home from school. If you skip school because you have a mild headache, you might just get a mild punishment.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A recession followed, but a mild one based on history, with AI debt not systemic and some tech-related defaults.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
“The only hope is that the mild temperatures Europe has experienced so far this winter will continue,” according to ANZ.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Record domestic production and expectations for mild weather are keeping natural-gas prices low.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
‘He did have very mild cognitive impairment, but no dementia diagnosis.’
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Seeing Mr. Smith at school was a mild comfort, a bridge between Whitney Young and my neighborhood, but it did little to offset my anxiety.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Together, the results indicate that CBN, despite its reputation as a milder cannabis compound, interacts with some of the same receptor systems that contribute to THC dependence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Climate modelling shows that Scotland can expect hotter, dryer summers and milder, wetter winters by the end of this century.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Currently, the most extreme high tides are occurring between 10 and 11 a.m., with milder secondary high tides between 11 p.m. and midnight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
That’s where heating bills could potentially get the most help from milder temperatures, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
She’s got milder skin than Lua and dark brown wavy hair.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
The school with the cleanest record got the mildest outcome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Temperatures in Saudi Arabia are at their mildest between October and April.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2024
Temperatures tend to be mildest in the fall and spring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2024
At its mildest, an aircraft may only experience slight erratic changes in altitude, but at the severe end, turbulence can cause large abrupt changes in altitude and angle of the plane.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
She was usually just the mildest sort of person.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
