mild

[mahyld] /maɪld/
adjective, milder, mildest.
1.
amiably gentle or temperate in feeling or behavior toward others.
2.
characterized by or showing such gentleness, as manners or speech:
a mild voice.
3.
not cold, severe, or extreme, as air or weather:
mild breezes.
4.
not sharp, pungent, or strong:
a mild flavor.
5.
not acute or serious, as disease:
a mild case of flu.
6.
gentle or moderate in force or effect:
mild penalties.
7.
soft; pleasant:
mild sunshine.
8.
moderate in intensity, degree, or character:
mild regret.
9.
British Dialect. comparatively soft and easily worked, as soil, wood, or stone.
10.
Obsolete. kind or gracious.
noun
11.
British. beer that has a blander taste than bitter.
Origin
before 900; Middle English, Old English milde; cognate with German mild; akin to Greek malthakós soft
Related forms
mildly, adverb
mildness, noun
overmild, adjective
semimild, adjective
semimildness, noun
Synonyms
1. soft, pleasant. See gentle. 3. temperate, moderate, clement. 4. bland.
Antonyms
1. forceful. 3. severe. 6. harsh.
Examples from the web for mild
  • Serranos, on the other hand, are understood generally to be kind and mild mannered.
  • Known for its temperate climate, this city generally has mild, damp winters and relatively dry and mild summers.
  • Wrapped in a warming blanket and given a mild tranquilizer, the patient generally feels warm throughout the procedure.
  • Symptoms of a concussion can range from mild to severe.
  • Professors with a mild form of autism must decide whether to reveal their diagnosis.
  • For poorer nations it could still be relatively mild.
  • Plants and animals flourish in the abundant rainfall and mild temperatures here.
  • Thanks to its year-round mild climate, almost all activities can be enjoyed every season.
  • Varieties that grow well in mild climatic conditions.
  • And have some water, mild fruit, bread or crackers available to help cleanse your palate between wines.
British Dictionary definitions for mild

mild

/maɪld/
adjective
1.
(of a taste, sensation, etc) not powerful or strong; bland: a mild curry
2.
gentle or temperate in character, climate, behaviour, etc
3.
not extreme; moderate: a mild rebuke
4.
feeble; unassertive
noun
5.
(Brit) draught beer, of darker colour than bitter and flavoured with fewer hops
Derived Forms
mildly, adverb
mildness, noun
Word Origin
Old English milde; compare Old Saxon mildi, Old Norse mildr
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."