I. mild 1 /maɪld/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative milder , superlative mildest )
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: milde ]
1 . WEATHER fairly warm OPP cold :
We had an exceptionally mild winter last year.
a mild climate
2 . ILLNESS a mild illness or health problem is not serious:
He suffered a mild heart attack.
Sometimes the symptoms can be quite mild.
a mild case of food poisoning
a mild form of diabetes
3 . FEELINGS a mild feeling is not very strong:
Both men looked at her in mild surprise.
a feeling of mild irritation
4 . FOOD/TASTE not very strong or hot-tasting:
a mild curry
a cheese with a pleasant mild flavour
5 . CRITICISM a mild criticism does not criticize strongly
6 . PROBLEMS/SITUATIONS not serious enough to cause much suffering:
The recession in Germany has been comparatively mild.
a mild setback
7 . PEOPLE a mild person has a gentle character and does not easily get angry:
a mild, well-mannered man
His voice was soft and mild.
8 . DRUGS/CHEMICALS a mild drug or chemical does not have a very strong effect:
a mild painkiller
a mild herbicide
9 . SOAP ETC soft and gentle to your skin:
a mild shampoo
10 . LANGUAGE mild words or language are not very rude or offensive:
I heard him mutter a mild swear word.
⇨ ↑ mildly
—mildness noun [uncountable]
II. mild 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
British English dark beer with a slightly sweet taste ⇨ bitter
• • •
THESAURUS
■ describing the taste of something
▪ delicious having a very good taste:
This cake is delicious!
|
a delicious meal
▪ disgusting/revolting having a very bad taste:
The medicine tasted disgusting.
|
They had to eat revolting things, like fish eyes.
▪ sweet tasting full of sugar:
The oranges were very sweet.
▪ tasty especially spoken tasting good and with plenty of flavour:
She cooked us a simple but tasty meal.
|
That was really tasty!
▪ sour/tart having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does – used especially when this is rather unpleasant:
The apples were a little sour.
|
The wine has rather a tart taste, which not everyone will like.
▪ tangy having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does, in a way that seems good:
The dressing was nice and tangy.
▪ bitter having a strong taste which is not sweet and is sometimes rather unpleasant – used for example about black coffee, or chocolate without sugar:
bitter chocolate
|
The medicine had rather a bitter taste.
|
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
▪ salty containing a lot of salt:
Danish salami has a salty flavour.
▪ hot/spicy having a burning taste because it contains strong spices:
I love hot curries.
|
a spicy tomato sauce
▪ piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ formal a little spicy – used especially by people who write about food. This word can sound rather ↑ pretentious in everyday conversation:
cooked vegetables in a piquant sauce
▪ mild not having a strong or hot taste – usually used about foods that can sometimes be spicy:
a mild curry
▪ bland not having an interesting taste:
I found the sauce rather bland.