lenient

adjective

Definition of lenientnext
as in sympathetic
allowing a lot of freedom and not punishing bad behavior in a strong way a teacher who is lenient with students who have misbehaved The public was outraged by the lenient sentence the corrupt banker received.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lenient Different lenders have different credit score requirements, with some being more lenient than others. — Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026 Some parents may be more lenient than others on the candy indulgence, but Arnaout says setting limits is important to avoid children getting stomach aches or nausea. — Lina Ruiz october 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026 Earlier this year, the CFTC decided to scale back enforcement and shift to a more lenient voluntary self-reporting approach. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026 Colorado took a more lenient course, allowing brewing companies to wholesale their own products directly to licensed retailers. — Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lenient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenient
  1. sympathetic
  2. compassionate
  3. friendly
  4. merciful
  5. forgiving
  6. pleasant
  7. patient
  8. gentle
Adjective
  • Kewman, who has spent years reading about the disease that may determine his future, was sympathetic to this view.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The motive might be sympathetic, but the effect is sentimentalizing.
    — Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of sympathetic
Adjective
  • Communities become more inclusive, compassionate, and connected.
    — Jeffrey Zirulnick, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Gentle parenting has become a buzzword on social media, often presented as a calm, connected, and compassionate alternative to traditional discipline.
    — Alex Vance, Parents, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of compassionate
Adjective
  • The service The staff are as smooth and friendly as the setting.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Despite the beery bonhomie and singalong-friendly simplicity of their tunes, the Twisted Teens are grappling with an increasingly complex tangle of contradictions and tensions.
    — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of friendly
Adjective
  • In this sense, there is a distinct possibility the spear wound was a final, merciful act by someone close to them.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The merciful conclusion of this horrific season officially ends the Mike Krukow era in the Giants broadcast booth.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of merciful
Adjective
  • And while the sneaker’s upper appears mostly the same from a glance, it’s also been tweaked to offer a more forgiving fit.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • On ordinary days, the loop is a training ground for runners and cyclists, and an unusually forgiving place for beginners and families.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Adjective
  • Afternoons should be mild and mostly sunny, with lower humidity making outdoor plans more pleasant.
    — Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 2 Nov. 2026
  • As Los Angeles became more crowded and less pleasant a place to live, the high-handedness of Southern California developers and officialdom occasionally got those hands slapped.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of pleasant
Adjective
  • This initiative would require certain private nonprofit healthcare clinics to spend at least 90% of their annual total revenue on patient services.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Proposition 44, which would require certain health centers to spend 90% of their revenue on patient care rather than overhead and executive compensation, failed.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of patient
Adjective
  • Its epic-length bookends transposed the funereal aims of Bell Witch’s modern doom masterpiece Mirror Reaper to Floydian realms, while its gentler, more meditative midsection never completely renounced the artists’ metal roots.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Our goal was to take it easy during the daylight hours with a gentle hike or two, and store up our energy for a nocturnal expedition come sundown.
    — Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of gentle

Browse Nearby Words

leniency
lenient
leniently
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenient. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of defer

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All