lievä

Lievä is a Finnish adjective meaning mild, gentle, or moderate in degree. It is used to describe conditions that are not severe, such as illnesses, symptoms, or weather, as well as attitudes, tones, or penalties that are not harsh. For example, lievä kipu means mild pain, lievä sairaus means a mild illness, and lievä sää means mild weather. In descriptions or evaluative language, lievä conveys a softened or restrained quality rather than a strong or extreme one.

Etymology and related forms: The word derives from the Finnish stem liev-, and is related to the verb lievittää, meaning "to alleviate" or "to ease," as well as the adverb lievästi, meaning "mildly." A common idiomatic expression is lievästi sanottuna, used as "to put it mildly." The comparative and superlative forms are lievempi and lievimmin, respectively, and the adjective can be declined to match nouns in different cases and numbers.

Usage notes: Lievä tends to describe non-extreme, everyday conditions and descriptions where a softened tone is appropriate. It is distinct from stronger adjectives such as vakava ("serious") or raju ("severe"). In medical, meteorological, or social contexts, lievä is a common choice to indicate simplicity or mildness without implying insignificance.

See also: lievittää, lievästi, lievästi sanottuna.