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
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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
-
Never mind that historically, the Jews have not only wielded little control over global affairs, but have also proven to be the most at their mercy.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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But the Salt River system is unlike the Colorado River watershed, whose reservoirs are entirely at the mercy of winter snow to replenish them.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kunis and Kutcher both wrote letters of support to the judge asking for leniency for Masterson.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Mar. 2026
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The 32-year-old Opa-locka native went so far as to write a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian requesting leniency before her former beau’s sentencing.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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He was sentenced to 40 months in prison but was later granted clemency.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
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For now, Dershowitz said his focus will be on the broader legal stakes and the timing of any clemency effort.—
Chloe Melas,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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