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
Dunn famously forgave his attacker, asking for lenience at his federal trial.
—
Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
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
Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
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
-
And, Ben carried out his instructions with precision and without mercy.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Notre Dame is at the mercy of the committee no matter what.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Combs’ family, friends, former employees and business associates from Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Enterprises submitted more than 70 letters to ask Judge Subramanian for leniency on his behalf.—
Kara Scannell,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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In a final speech before sentencing, Combs made a plea for leniency.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenience. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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