Adjective

(er)

Gentle and not easily provoked.

(of a rule or punishment) Of only moderate severity.

Not keenly felt or seriously intended.

*

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed. And thus we came by a circuitous route to Mohair, the judge occupied by his own guilty thoughts, and I by others not less disturbing.}}

(of an illness or pain) Not serious or dangerous.

* {{quote-book, author=Rachel Simon, year=2002

, passage=I learn that mental retardation is classified in four levels: mild , moderate, severe, and profound. , title= Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey}}

* {{quote-book, author=Janice A. Gault, year=2003

, passage=NPDR can be further classified as mild , moderate, severe, or very severe, which can help predict how quickly the patient may progress to proliferative (neovascular) diabetic retinopathy (PDR). , title= Ophthalmology Pearls}}

(of weather) Moderately warm, especially less cold than expected.

(of a medicine or cosmetic) Acting gently and without causing harm.

Not sharp, or strong in flavor.

Adjective

(en adjective)

Of short duration; happening quickly.

* (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)

How brief the life of man.

*, chapter=10

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.}}

* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=November 7, author=Matt Bai, title=Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds, work=New York Times citation

, passage=That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past. }}

Concise; taking few words.

* (Ben Johnson) (1572-1637)

The brief style is that which expresseth much in little.

*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)

, chapter=1 citation , passage=She was like a Beardsley Salome , he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry. His wooing had been brief but incisive.}}

Occupying a small distance, area or spatial extent; short.

* 1983 , Robert Drewe, The Bodysurfers , Penguin 2009, p. 17:

On the beach he always wore a straw hat with a red band and a brief pair of leopard print trunks.

(obsolete) Rife; common; prevalent.