as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
a judge's reputation for lenience towards first-time criminals
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Recent Examples of lenience
Experts say this level of lenience can lead to rebellion, risk-prone temperament, and unhealthy habits.
—
Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 29 Sep. 2024
Trilogy pulled through because of customers who went out of their way to support the business and order food to-go, the landlord’s lenience with rent, the PPP funding, its outdoor space and the health focus of her business at a time when health was on everyone’s mind.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
Conservative applicants also voiced concern about liberal LGBTQ laws and lenience on crime.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024
Experts say this level of lenience can lead to rebellion, risk-prone temperament, and unhealthy habits.
—Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 29 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lenience
Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 29 Sep. 2024
Trilogy pulled through because of customers who went out of their way to support the business and order food to-go, the landlord’s lenience with rent, the PPP funding, its outdoor space and the health focus of her business at a time when health was on everyone’s mind.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
Conservative applicants also voiced concern about liberal LGBTQ laws and lenience on crime.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024
Experts say this level of lenience can lead to rebellion, risk-prone temperament, and unhealthy habits.
—Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 29 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lenience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenience
Noun
-
Sales tax revenue, meanwhile, is at the mercy of uncertain macroeconomic conditions, with many U.S. economists predicting that the country might soon fall into a recession.—
Jonathan Horwitz,
Oc Register,
26 June 2025
-
That's the small mercy serious songs offer: not false hope, but a candle in the hallway, proof that someone else stayed up too.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
While some investors are willing to lend him some leniency on timing and the exact details, many want concrete signs of progress.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
13 June 2025
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The leniency has led to notable controversies in the past, which the TV Academy had no real issue correcting.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenience. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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