mildly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈmaɪldli/ UK /ˈmaɪldli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv to a moderate degree; gently She was mildly amused by the joke. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · to a moderate degree; gently gentlyslightlymoderatelyfaintlysoftlylightlysomewhat ↔ Opposites severelyharshlyintenselystrongly Word family Related forms mildmildness Appears in Phrases (1) See all mildly interested showing a small degree of curiosity or attention Adverb + adjective Etymology AI details From mild (Old English milde 'gentle, merciful', from Proto-Germanic *milþijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *meldʰ- 'soft') + -ly. milde Old English *meld- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # mildly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈmaɪldli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈmaɪldli/ ## Meanings 1. to a moderate degree; gently ## Examples - She was mildly amused by the joke. ## Synonyms - gently - slightly - moderately - faintly - softly - lightly - somewhat ## Antonyms - severely - harshly - intensely - strongly ## Related Forms - mild - mildness ## Roots and Affixes - Root: milde - Root: *meld- ## Etymology From mild (Old English milde 'gentle, merciful', from Proto-Germanic *milþijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *meldʰ- 'soft') + -ly. ## AI Etymology Mildly comes from mild (Old English milde 'gentle, merciful', from Proto-Germanic *milþijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *meldʰ- 'soft') + -ly. The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As an adverb, it means "to a moderate degree; gently", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Old English milde and Proto-Indo-European *meld-. Related words include mild, mildness. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown