lenient
adjective
le·nient
ˈlē-nē-ənt 
-nyənt
1
: of mild and tolerant disposition or effect : not harsh, severe, or strict
lenient laws
a lenient attitude
2
: exerting a soothing or easing influence : relieving pain or stress
leniently
adverb
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Examples of lenient in a Sentence
By giving one more person—the executive—the power to reduce (but not to increase) punishments, our constitutions (both Federal and state) seem to be sending an important message: that in a world in which errors are inevitable, it is better to err on the side of overly lenient, rather than overly harsh, punishment.
—
Alan M. Dershowitz, New York Times Book Review, 16 July 1989
He could trust himself, he said … to be more lenient than perhaps his father had been to himself; his danger, he said … would be rather in the direction of being too indulgent …
—Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh, 1903
But in other points, as well as this, I was growing very lenient to my master: I was forgetting all his faults, for which I had once kept a sharp look-out.
—Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
a teacher who is lenient with students who have misbehaved
Many people felt that the punishment was too lenient.
Alan M. Dershowitz, New York Times Book Review, 16 July 1989
He could trust himself, he said … to be more lenient than perhaps his father had been to himself; his danger, he said … would be rather in the direction of being too indulgent …
—Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh, 1903
But in other points, as well as this, I was growing very lenient to my master: I was forgetting all his faults, for which I had once kept a sharp look-out.
—Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
a teacher who is lenient with students who have misbehaved
Many people felt that the punishment was too lenient.
Recent Examples on the Web
And with Apple being more lenient with repairs, a secondary market could be bubbling to help overthrow some of the budget Android mainstays.
—Florence Ion / Gizmodo, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
But those have much more lenient penalties; indeed two of the other charges against Fischer have no jail time specified.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lenient 
Florence Ion / Gizmodo, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
But those have much more lenient penalties; indeed two of the other charges against Fischer have no jail time specified.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lenient
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lenient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lenient
Cite this Entry
“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenient. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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