lenient

[ lee-nee-uhnt, leen-yuhnt ]
See synonyms for: lenientleniently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. agreeably tolerant; permissive; indulgent: He tended to be lenient toward the children. More lenient laws encouraged greater freedom of expression.

  2. Archaic. softening, soothing, or alleviative.

Origin of lenient

1
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin lēnient-, stem of lēniēns “softened,” present participle of lēnīre “to alleviate, soften, soothe,” derivative of lēnis lenis

Other words from lenient

  • le·ni·ent·ly, adverb
  • su·per·le·ni·ent, adjective
  • su·per·le·ni·ent·ly, adverb
  • un·le·ni·ent, adjective
  • un·le·ni·ent·ly, adverb

Words Nearby lenient

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How to use lenient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lenient

lenient

/ (ˈliːnɪənt) /


adjective
  1. showing or characterized by mercy or tolerance

  2. archaic caressing or soothing

Origin of lenient

1
C17: from Latin lēnīre to soothe, from lēnis soft

Derived forms of lenient

  • leniency or lenience, noun
  • leniently, adverb

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