as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
a social critic who argues that judicial lenity is chiefly to blame for the increased criminality that plagues us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lenity
Twelve judges sided with Cargill and concluded that the definition of machine gun was ambiguous enough to invoke a legal principle known as the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret unclear criminal laws in a way that's most favorable to the defendant.
—
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenity
Noun
-
Their operations and revenues remain at the mercy of uncontrollable natural forces.—
Guy Courtin,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Customers are at the mercy of electric companies that raised power prices 11% in 2022 and 2.5% in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s state electricity profiles.—
Andrew Carpenter,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Houlihan, whose case was prosecuted by the international Athletics Integrity Unit, received no such leniency and was forced to spend the prime of her career on the sideline.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters that all four had been dual citizens and said Ottawa would ask for leniency for other Canadians facing the same fate.—
Reuters,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Dreher said that Hager, from Waco, Texas, should be reimbursed because the case was actively being appealed when Trump issued his clemency.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Risk assessments are conducted by public safety experts and forensic psychologists and tend to precede clemencies.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share