clemency
Americannoun
-
clemencies
plural
-
the quality of being clement; disposition to show forbearance, compassion, or forgiveness in judging or punishing; leniency; mercy.
- Synonyms:
- mercifulness, gentleness, forgivingness
- Antonyms:
- harshness
-
an act or deed showing mercy or leniency.
-
(of the weather) mildness or temperateness.
- Antonyms:
- severity
noun
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mercy or leniency
-
mildness, esp of the weather
Usage
what does clemency mean? Clemency is mercy or the quality of being lenient. Clemency is most commonly used in a legal context for situations in which a prisoner is officially pardoned or has their sentence shortened. Example: The governor has granted her clemency, meaning she will be released early.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of clemency
1375–1425; late Middle English (< Anglo-French ) < Latin clēmentia. See clement, -cy
Explanation
Say you're playing a role-playing game and you end up in one of the other player's dungeons. You could try begging her for clemency — compassion shown by people in power towards people who rebel or break the law. Clemency is also a weather word, though nowadays it's much more common to hear people talk about "inclement weather" than, say, "the clemency of the storm." Derived from the Latin for "gentle", it came into usage in the 1550s. If you have trouble remembering its meaning, get rid of the "cle" and replace the "n" with an "r". You're left with "mercy", which more or less means the same thing.
Vocabulary lists containing clemency
Frankenstein
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That clemency was reciprocated when the retreating raiders were caught by determined Mohawk forces led by Lawrence, north of Lake Champlain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
For his 2021 grant of executive clemency, he has his lawyers and reality-TV star Kim Kardashian to thank — as well as President Trump.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Why can't the Football Association show clemency just like Fifa did?
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
But unfortunately, by the time Rausch steps up to defend him, the innocent comic is beyond any chance of clemency at the banishment round table.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
There was no recommendation for clemency in the case and none is here recommended.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
But since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, only 86 individual clemencies have been granted—out of 1,659 executions.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
The president has issued a number of clemencies during the first year of his second term, many for defendants in criminal cases once touted by federal prosecutors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026
Those clemencies came on top of the commutation awarded last month to George Santos, the disgraced former New York congressman found guilty of defrauding donors and lying to the House of Representatives.
From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2025
A day later, top officials at the agency celebrated several people who have received pardons and clemencies in recent years, characterizing their long sentences for nonviolent drug crimes as harsh and unfair.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2023
In your greatness ye shall change it; with your justice ye shall purify it; with your clemencies ye should it chasten and amerce.
From Privy Seal His Last Venture by Ford Madox Ford
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
