mild
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mild
Mild, gentle, or not very strong in degree. Often used for criticism, punishments, or weather.
Dank seines Geständnisses erhielt der Angeklagte eine eher gelinde Strafe.
Thanks to his confession, the defendant received a rather mild sentence.
The expression 'gelinde gesagt' (to put it mildly) is a very common fixed expression and means 'to phrase it carefully.' It is often used ironically to express a very strong negative opinion while pretending to soften it.
Die Organisation der Veranstaltung war, gelinde gesagt, katastrophal.
The organization of the event was, mildly put, catastrophic.
The expression 'gelinde gesagt' (to put it mildly) usually appears as an insertion within the sentence and is set off by commas. However, it can also appear at the beginning or end of a sentence.
Das Essen war, gelinde gesagt, ungenießbar.
The food was, mildly put, inedible.
In its literal meaning of 'mild' or 'gentle,' 'gelinde' (mild) is often combined with abstract nouns. Typical collocations are 'eine gelinde Strafe' (a mild sentence), 'ein gelindes Mittel' (a mild remedy), or 'gelinde Kritik' (mild criticism).
Das Gericht verhängte eine für diesen Fall überraschend gelinde Strafe.
The court imposed a surprisingly mild sentence for this case.
Outside the fixed expression 'gelinde gesagt' (to put it mildly), the adjective 'gelinde' (mild) is mainly used in written language or in formal contexts. It often sounds somewhat elevated or literary.
Er äußerte nur gelinde Kritik an dem Vorschlag.
He expressed only mild criticism of the proposal.
light / easy
'leicht' and 'gelinde' can both mean that something is not strong. 'Leicht' is the normal everyday word and fits many things, for example pain, wind, rain, or a mistake. 'Gelinde' also means mild or gentle, but it sounds much more formal and is used only in certain contexts, for example with criticism, punishments, or weather. The fixed expression 'gelinde gesagt' (to put it mildly) is very common when you want to express a negative statement carefully. Learners may confuse the words because both describe a low level of intensity. In everyday language, 'leicht' is usually more natural; 'gelinde' fits more in fixed or elevated expressions.
Gelinde gesagt, war die Besprechung heute schlecht vorbereitet.
To put it mildly, today’s meeting was poorly prepared.
Nach dem Training hat Max nur leichte Schmerzen im Bein.
After training, Max only has slight pain in his leg.