Literary notes about mild (AI summary)
The word "mild" in literature is employed to evoke a sense of gentleness, calm, and moderation across a variety of contexts. It is often used to describe character traits that are unassuming and unprovocative, as when a character is noted for his mild manners or gentle disposition ([1], [2], [3]), yet is capable of surprising fortitude or quiet authority in other moments ([4], [5]). Additionally, "mild" can characterize atmospheric conditions or moods, suggesting pleasant weather or a tranquil setting that belies a subtler intensity hidden beneath the surface ([6], [7]). Moreover, historical and political narratives utilize the term to denote a measured, balanced approach to governance and philosophy ([8], [9]). Thus, across genres—from the lyrical verses of Blake to the narrative observations of Twain—the word "mild" enriches descriptions by conveying softness, temperance, and a refined, understated strength ([10], [11]).
- He's a mild-mannered librarian by profession, but he'd been a real radical in the sixties and wrestled a little in high school.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - Mr Best entered, tall, young, mild, light.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - He was mild, placid, assured, giving the impression that he wished to be of service only
— from Sister Carrie: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser - Captain Nemo replied in a tone of mild surprise.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - The Professor didn't know what to make of her, and stopped at last to ask with an air of mild surprise that was irresistible. .
— from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - We had three weeks of this mild, open weather.
— from My Ántonia by Willa Cather - a fine, warm day, as hazy and mild as September.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - Their mild administration opened the flattering prospect of the restoration, not only of the civil but even of the republican government.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - To the firm establishment of this idea we owe the peaceful succession and mild administration of European monarchies.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - 'I'm a mild man till I'm roused,' I says, 'and it's getting to that.'
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - 4 Such was the mild spirit of antiquity, that the nations were less attentive to the difference, than to the resemblance, of their religious worship.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
