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lenient
[lee-nee-uhnt, leen-yuhnt]
adjective
agreeably tolerant; permissive; indulgent.
He tended to be lenient toward the children. More lenient laws encouraged greater freedom of expression.
Archaic.softening, soothing, or alleviative.
lenient
/ ˈːɪəԳ /
adjective
showing or characterized by mercy or tolerance
archaiccaressing or soothing
Other Word Forms
- leniently adverb
- superlenient adjective
- superleniently adverb
- unlenient adjective
- unleniently adverb
- ˈԾԳ noun
- ˈԾԳٱ adverb
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of lenient1
Example Sentences
Two MPs have called for a review into "unduly lenient" sentences given to two teenagers convicted of killing an 80-year-old man at a park.
Earlier this month, Thames Water's boss Chris Weston told MPs the company's survival depended on Ofwat being lenient over fines and penalties.
As first reported by the Sun on Sunday, the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is said to want to expand unpaid work, which she believes to be too lenient.
Thames Water's survival as a private company depends on the industry regulator Ofwat being lenient over fines and penalties, its boss Chris Weston has said.
“The scoring adjustments were not designed to be lenient in any way,” Chan said.
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When To Use
Lenient means permissive or showing mercy, as opposed to strict or harsh.When you’re lenient with someone, you go easy on them. The word sometimes implies that maybe you’re going too easy, and should be more strict. On the other hand, if someone thinks a person is being too strict, such as when disciplining a child, they may tell them to be more lenient.The word can be used to describe a person, an action, or a policy. It is especially applied to things like punishments, such as prison sentences, that people think are not severe enough.The quality of being lenient is leniency.Example: In my opinion, the punishment is far too lenient—I think he’s getting off too easy.
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