lenity
Americannoun
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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.
Gorsuch is the court’s most consistent proponent of the rule of lenity, sometimes to the conservatives’ dismay.
From Slate ● Mar. 1, 2023
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
First, a canon of statutory construction known as the rule of lenity should apply here.
From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2019
Lin invoked this principle when he raised the rule of lenity, which holds that an ambiguous criminal law should be interpreted in favor of the defendant.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2017
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.
