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.
mildly put
A fixed expression meaning 'to put it mildly' or 'to phrase it carefully.' It is used to soften a negative statement.
Sein Verhalten war, gelinde gesagt, eine absolute Frechheit.
His behavior was, mildly put, absolutely outrageous.
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.
mild
Mild and gelinde can both describe lenient criticism or an assessment that is not harsh. However, for the fixed expression “gelinde gesagt,” gelinde is more idiomatic and somewhat elevated, while mild remains a standard description. Use mild generally and gelinde especially in this cautious, softening expression.
Das war, gelinde gesagt, keine besonders gute Vorbereitung auf die Prüfung.
That was, to put it mildly, not particularly good preparation for the exam.
Die Lehrerin formulierte ihre Kritik an dem vergessenen Bericht mild.
The teacher phrased her criticism of the forgotten report mildly.
