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
Arguing that today’s borrowers need even more help, the Biden administration merged most of those plans into a single repayment option with more lenient terms.
—Collin Binkley, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The problem, and the department’s supposedly lenient handling of such cases, has received scrutiny in the past by the Police Commission.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Credit to Andrew Wiggins, Trayce Jackson Davis, Klay Thompson, and the more lenient spring whistle but with Green in the middle of it all, the Warriors’ defense has looked formidable as of late.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
The new recommendation by the American Headache Society might influence some insurance companies to become more lenient in covering CGRPs, but this depends on individual plans and negotiations.
—Syeda Khaula Saad, Verywell Health, 3 Apr. 2024
The series, which also included interviews with Epstein’s victims, detailed how Epstein and his lawyers managed to manipulate prosecutors into giving him a extraordinarily lenient deal that was kept secret from his victims and their attorneys.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
Though the amounts permitted in Germany are relatively small — adults are allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis flower in New York, for example — the new law still makes Germany one of the most lenient countries on marijuana in the European Union.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
This scenario could encourage a more lenient approach towards evaluating conservation easement deductions, potentially increasing the approval rate of such deductions moving forward.
—Jessica Ledingham, J.d., Ll.m., Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Unique security challenges on buses A push for lenient gun laws has also contributed to a rise in violence, Burd-Sharps said, noting Louisiana and South Carolina were the latest to pass permitless concealed carry laws this month.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Collin Binkley, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The problem, and the department’s supposedly lenient handling of such cases, has received scrutiny in the past by the Police Commission.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Credit to Andrew Wiggins, Trayce Jackson Davis, Klay Thompson, and the more lenient spring whistle but with Green in the middle of it all, the Warriors’ defense has looked formidable as of late.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
The new recommendation by the American Headache Society might influence some insurance companies to become more lenient in covering CGRPs, but this depends on individual plans and negotiations.
—Syeda Khaula Saad, Verywell Health, 3 Apr. 2024
The series, which also included interviews with Epstein’s victims, detailed how Epstein and his lawyers managed to manipulate prosecutors into giving him a extraordinarily lenient deal that was kept secret from his victims and their attorneys.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
Though the amounts permitted in Germany are relatively small — adults are allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis flower in New York, for example — the new law still makes Germany one of the most lenient countries on marijuana in the European Union.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
This scenario could encourage a more lenient approach towards evaluating conservation easement deductions, potentially increasing the approval rate of such deductions moving forward.
—Jessica Ledingham, J.d., Ll.m., Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Unique security challenges on buses A push for lenient gun laws has also contributed to a rise in violence, Burd-Sharps said, noting Louisiana and South Carolina were the latest to pass permitless concealed carry laws this month.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenient. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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