midly

Midly is an infrequently attested English adverb that appears as a nonstandard spelling or archaic variant meaning to a moderate extent. In modern standard English, the adverb form derived from mild is mildly, and midly is rarely used outside historical texts, dialect writings, or as a typographical error.

Historically, midly surfaces in contexts where spelling was less standardized, and it may reflect a tentative attempt to combine a sense of “middle” with the adverbial -ly. Because such instances are scarce and vary by manuscript, they are not treated as a separate, widely recognized form in contemporary reference works. Most authoritative dictionaries do not list midly as a distinct word, instead treating it as a rare or erroneous variant of mildly.

In contemporary usage, midly is generally avoided in favor of mildly or moderately. If encountered, it is usually understood as intending the same sense as mildly—“to a small degree”—or as a regional or historical quirk rather than a standard lexical item. Modern writers are advised to prefer mildly when modifying verbs or adjectives and moderately for a more formal indication of degree. The rarity and ambiguity of midly mean it is not suitable for formal writing, and its presence is often of interest mainly to scholars, editors, or readers encountering historical texts.