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.
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Recent Examples of lenient
This section wipes out the existing film and photography permit requirements in national parks and replaces them with significantly more lenient rules.
—
Sam MacIlwaine, Outside Online, 11 May 2025
Camargo acknowledged that lenient sentences have encouraged armed groups to recruit minors to commit crimes.
—Manuel Rueda, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
In January 2023, Price rode into office on a broad progressive platform that sought shorter prison sentences, alternatives to prison and more lenient prosecutions of young defendants as a means to combat the nation’s legacy of mass incarceration.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Indeed, that is the key reason to implement a tariff in the first place: to protect domestic businesses, especially when foreign players operate under conditions that the domestic producers simply cannot compete with, such as more lenient safety standards and no minimum wages.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lenient
Sam MacIlwaine, Outside Online, 11 May 2025
Camargo acknowledged that lenient sentences have encouraged armed groups to recruit minors to commit crimes.
—Manuel Rueda, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
In January 2023, Price rode into office on a broad progressive platform that sought shorter prison sentences, alternatives to prison and more lenient prosecutions of young defendants as a means to combat the nation’s legacy of mass incarceration.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Indeed, that is the key reason to implement a tariff in the first place: to protect domestic businesses, especially when foreign players operate under conditions that the domestic producers simply cannot compete with, such as more lenient safety standards and no minimum wages.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lenient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenient
Adjective
-
Young Sil is sympathetic, the result of an unethical science experiment.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 July 2025
-
Davenport is sympathetic to best-of-five giving women’s tennis a more even platform, but fears that critics of women’s tennis would still dig up something to find fault with.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Companies like Google and Salesforce offer extensive parental leave programs, recognizing that supporting employees during one of life’s most significant milestones is not only compassionate but smart business.—
Will Fan,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
That means unlearning the language that perpetuates harm and stereotypes, and being more compassionate and humane across the board.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
But if oil prices remain middling, even friendly policies might not compel companies to significantly ramp up drilling.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
Instead of an origin story, Peter is thrown into the stressful situation of navigating high school life, being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and crushing on the daughter of Michael Keaton's villainous Vulture.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Not only did the team put an offensive moniker that shall remain nameless in this space in its past, but Snyder's sad and disturbing reign as owner finally came to a merciful end.—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
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Savory pork and briny tapenade slam against your palate, while a merciful scattering of greens doused with lemon juice softens the blow.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
That’s as measured by the more forgiving WLTP standards in Europe, but impressive nonetheless, and probably a longer distance than most people would want to drive in one trip anyway.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
15 July 2025
-
After an injury shifted his focus from punishing road running to softer, more forgiving trails, McEnaney has completed multiple 100-mile races, including the Midstate Massive Ultra Trail in New England, but only one in less than 24 hours.—
Miriam Schwartz,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Like, so deeply moral and kind and pleasant and smart.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
14 July 2025
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Like so deeply moral and kind and pleasant and smart.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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And then also just being patient with your mental health journey and battling acne and skincare too.—
Brittany Talarico,
People.com,
21 July 2025
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Cloud was patient yet fast, finishing with the best time in the first round (34.1), despite missing all three of her right-wing 3-point attempts.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
19 July 2025
Adjective
-
My life is my people, the gentle hills of the Marche region, and the objects that hold and transmit emotions.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
15 July 2025
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But the show has also increasingly thrived on the odd-couple chemistry between co-creator Downs, who plays Hollywood’s gentlest manager, and breakout star Stalter as his assistant turned partner.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenient. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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