lenient
Americanadjective
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agreeably tolerant; permissive; indulgent.
He tended to be lenient toward the children. More lenient laws encouraged greater freedom of expression.
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Archaic. softening, soothing, or alleviative.
adjective
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showing or characterized by mercy or tolerance
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archaic caressing or soothing
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
- leniency noun
- leniently adverb
- superlenient adjective
- superleniently adverb
- unlenient adjective
- unleniently adverb
Etymology
Origin of lenient
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin lēnient-, stem of lēniēns “softened,” present participle of lēnīre “to alleviate, soften, soothe,” derivative of lēnis lenis
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.
The Justice Department’s top antitrust official said on Thursday that she is leaving her job, capping a rocky year in which she clashed with senior officials who at times favored more lenient oversight of mergers.
Schools have also become much more lenient in disciplining students.
Wardell, who is now retired, said handlers continued to struggle to secure prosecutions when their animals were attacked, adding that when they did happen the sentences were "too lenient".
From BBC
Commenters online have warned their partners not to expect this lenient treatment.
This year, the IRS is being lenient with employers who can’t calculate all the overtime and tipped pay.
From MarketWatch
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.
