Meaning
slight, mild
- slight, minor
- mild, gentle
- light, delicate
In a sentence
Ho sentito un lieve dolore alla schiena.
I felt a slight pain in my back.
Ho un lieve mal di testa oggi.
I have a slight headache today.
La maestra non è stata lieve con lui.
The teacher wasn't mild with him.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| lieve | masculine · singular |
| lieve | feminine · singular |
| lievi | masculine · plural |
| lievi | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use lieve mostly in writing, news, or formal speech; in everyday conversation, leggero or piccolo are often more natural.
- Lieve usually comes before the noun: una lieve differenza, un lieve ritardo. After the noun sounds more literary or marked.
- Don't confuse lieve with light in color or weight contexts; for those, Italian usually uses chiaro or leggero.