lenient

[lee-nee-uhnt, leen-yuhnt]

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.

lenient

/ ˈliːnɪənt /

adjective

1. showing or characterized by mercy or tolerance

2. archaic,  caressing or soothing

Other Word Forms

• leniently adverb
• superlenient adjective
• superleniently adverb
• unlenient adjective
• unleniently adverb
• leniency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lenient¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lenient¹

C17: from Latin lēnīre to soothe, from lēnis soft

Example Sentences

New faculty reported surprise at how lenient grading is, and nearly all expressed “serious concern” about grade inflation.

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The Attorney General's office said it had received "several" complaints, which could lead to the Court Martial Appeal Court reviewing the sentence to see if it was unduly lenient.

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Her parents used the phone to see her location, she said, and although they put controls on her first phone they became more lenient when she went to a secondary school.

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The demotion could, however, take the oxygen out of those who criticize the palace for being too lenient in their treatment of Andrew, royal watchers say.

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Some analysts say that investors could be less lenient with such quirks once Buffett steps down, but whether Berkshire will provide more clarity is another question.

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Related Words

• benign 
• compassionate 
• compliant 
• forgiving 
• indulgent 
• sympathetic 
• tolerant 

When To Use

What does lenient mean?

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.