"To put it mildly" is an expression used to indicate that a statement is an understatement, suggesting that the reality is more extreme or intense than what is being said. For example, saying "The movie was boring, to put it mildly" implies the movie was very boring.
Translations
por decirlo suavemente
zacht uitgedrukt
per dir-ho suaument
pour le moins
gelinde gesagt
Etymology
The phrase "to put it mildly" originates from English idiomatic usage where 'putting something mildly' means expressing something in a gentler or less harsh manner than it truly is. It has been used since at least the 18th century to soften statements, often ironically emphasizing how much stronger the real situation is.
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"To put it mildly" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 130 commonly used expressions.
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