Mildly

How to spell mildly

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce mildly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mildly mean?

1. adverbTo a small or moderate degree; in a gentle manner.

Mildly in a sentence

• The review was mildly critical of the new menu.

• He was mildly amused by the office prank.

Where does mildly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is built from the adjective 'mild' plus the common adverb-forming suffix '-ly'. 'Mild' comes from Old English 'milde', meaning gentle, merciful, or soft in temperament, and it has close cousins in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch 'mild' and German 'milde', all tracing back to a shared Germanic root suggesting softness and gentleness. The adverb suffix '-ly' itself derives from Old English '-lice', originally meaning 'in the manner of' or 'having the form of', so 'mildly' literally describes doing something in a gentle or moderate manner. Over the centuries the sense broadened from describing gentleness of character to describing anything done to a small or moderate degree, as in 'mildly surprised'. The spelling stays regular here: you simply keep the whole word 'mild' and add '-ly', producing the doubled 'l' that some writers wrongly try to simplify.

How the word is built

• mild (gentle, soft)
• -ly (adverb suffix)