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 son of a well-to-do Hartford, Conn., jeweler, Church was leniently permitted by his father to pursue his artistic vocation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Those litigants generally have been treated leniently by judges who recognize their inexperience; they seldom are fined, though their cases may be dismissed.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025

Will the judges in London refuse to release him to U.S. authorities, leery of this 100-plus-year-old law and the possibility that a judge today might act less leniently than Ellis?

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2024

Some groups opposed his return to his own country because of concerns that he would likely be treated leniently.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2023

There was one person in Cape Town, he knew, who viewed his failures leniently, and just then he was curiously eager to meet her.

From Grit Lawless by Young, F.E. Mills