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3. mildly

mildly

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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

 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 put it mildly

without making something seem as bad as it really is The area is not very wealthy, to put it mildly - actually, it's pretty poor.

See also: mildly, put

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