The words mild and moderate mean similar things, but there is a slight difference in when and how we use them.
Mild is used in the following contexts:
not severe (for example, when talking about illness, punishment, the effect of medicines)
- You can take a mild sedative before the flight.
- My symptoms are mild, I don’t think I have the flu.
- Sending him to bed early was a really mild punishment, in my opinion.
not extreme, slight
- Janet looked at David in mild surprise when he said he didn’t want the promotion.
- You can get a mild electric shock if you touch that fence.
- A feeling of mild sadness came over Rachel when she saw her parents leave.
not strong or spicy (when talking about food)
- I love mild Cheddar cheese.
- Even Janine can eat this chili con carne, it’s really mild.
not cold, pleasant (when talking about the weather)
- I’m so happy it’s a mild winter, I can’t stand cold weather.
- I think I’ll move to a mild climate when I retire.
Moderate is used in the following contexts:
not excessive (neither very good nor very bad/ neither very small nor very big etc.), staying within the limits
- Take this medicine in moderate amounts. It’s easy to get addicted to it if you take too much.
- This fish should be cooked over moderate heat.
- My book wasn’t a bestseller unfortunately. It was just a moderate success.
- Don’t worry about Patrick. He’s not an alcoholic, he’s just a moderate drinker.
having views/opinions that are not extreme (when talking about politics)
- I don’t think moderate capitalism is a problem. It’s the extremist that I’m afraid of.
- Our new mayor is a moderate socialist.
In medicine, when talking about how severe an illness or symptom is, both mild and moderate are used. In this context, the adjective moderate expresses something stronger, more severe than mild. Moderate is somewhere between mild and severe:
- Chad’s son suffers from mild autism.
- Chad’s son suffers from moderate autism.
- Chad’s son suffers from severe autism.
- When you hit your elbow on the arm of your chair, you feel mild pain.
- When you fall on ice and hit your knees, you can feel moderate pain.
- When you break your leg, you feel severe pain.
