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
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On paper, this one would go to Washington by a mercy-rule final score.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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May their soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Hawthorne’s family speaks Hawthorne’s mother, Vonda Hawthorne, and a family friend also spoke on his behalf, asking the judge to consider some leniency in his sentencing.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Sep. 2025
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His defense attorney at the time, Brooke Wells, argued for leniency, saying that Menzies had a long history of being abused and neglected as a child and had been diagnosed with mental disorders, the Tribune reported.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The clemency granted by Cooper, which followed a two-year campaign by advocates against the death penalty calling on Cooper to use his power more widely, changed the sentences of the 15 inmates from death to life in prison without the possibility of parole.—
Avi Bajpai,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Memos unearthed from Biden’s term show his aides wanted the president to personally sign pardon decisions and advised against using the autopen on clemency decisions.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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