lenity
Americannoun
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lenities
plural
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the quality or state of being mild or gentle, as toward others.
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a lenient act.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lenity
From the Latin word lēnītās, dating back to 1540–50. See lenis, -ty 2
Vocabulary lists containing lenity
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.
Some decisions suggest that it applies only to “grievous ambiguities,” he noted, but “this ‘grievous’ business does not derive from any well-considered theory about lenity or the mainstream of this court’s opinions.”
From Slate ● Mar. 1, 2023
The biggest side-squabble revolved around an issue that Kagan didn’t even address: the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret ambiguous criminal laws in favor of the defendant.
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2022
This opinion spurred Justice Brett Kavanaugh to write his own concurrence rejecting the rule of lenity while endorsing a requirement of “proof that the defendant was aware that his conduct was unlawful.”
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2022
Dershowitz further suggested that the "rule of lenity," or the legal doctrine that ambiguities should be resolved in favor of defendants, also counseled towards acquitting the president.
From Fox News ● Jan. 27, 2020
Like many people, Chris apparently judged artists and close friends by their work, not their life, yet he was temperamentally incapable of extending such lenity to his father.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
