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
Harris won the race, partly by avoiding being tagged as either too stringent or too lenient.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
However, Kaplan expressed concern that the guidelines could be excessively severe and suggested Ellison deserves a more lenient punishment.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 24 Sep. 2024
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg took a more lenient approach.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
But taxes are also more lenient in Michigan, allowing dispensaries to charge much less and drive up demand from consumers.
—Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lenient 
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Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
However, Kaplan expressed concern that the guidelines could be excessively severe and suggested Ellison deserves a more lenient punishment.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 24 Sep. 2024
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg took a more lenient approach.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
But taxes are also more lenient in Michigan, allowing dispensaries to charge much less and drive up demand from consumers.
—Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lenient
Dictionary Entries Near lenient
Cite this Entry
“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenient. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.
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