dire vs mild

dire

adj
  • Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding; portentous. 

  • Expressing bad consequences: dreadful; dismal. 

  • Bad in quality, awful, terrible. 

  • Requiring action to prevent bad consequences: urgent, pressing. 

mild

adj
  • Not sharp or bitter; not strong in flavor. 

  • Of only moderate severity; not strict. 

  • Not serious or dangerous. 

  • Moderately warm, especially less cold than expected. 

  • Gentle and not easily angered. 

  • Not overly felt or seriously intended. 

  • Acting gently and without causing harm. 

noun
  • A relatively low-gravity beer, often with a dark colour; mild ale 

How often have the words dire and mild occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )