mildly

That's putting it mildly

That is an understatement. That's saying it without any exaggeration. A: "Gosh, it is downright balmy out!" B: "That's putting it mildly! I feel like I'm melting!" The new manager is a bit of a hothead—and that's putting it mildly!

See also: mildly, put

to put it mildly

set phrase Used to underemphasize or downplay something. A: "Oh, it was just a rain storm." B: "Yeah, to put it mildly. It was more like a hurricane!"

See also: mildly, put, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

to put it mildly

 and put it mildly

to understate something; to say something politely. (Note the variation in the examples.) She was angry at almost everyone—to put it mildly. To say she was angry is putting it mildly. To put it mildly, she was enraged.

See also: mildly, put, to

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

put it mildly

Understate, say without exaggeration, as in It's a fairly long way to walk, to put it mildly-twenty miles or so. [First half of 1900s]

See also: mildly, put

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

put it ˈmildly

used for showing that you could have said something much stronger or more critical, etc: He was annoyed, to put it mildly (= he was very angry). ♢ ‘She said you didn’t like it.’ ‘That’s putting it mildly — it’s hideous!’

See also: mildly, put

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