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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lenient
Some states, including Nevada and Texas, are considered more lenient, while California has strict oversight on driverless-car testing and operations.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Netflix has been lenient in other ways.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
The thing, of course, is that King Charles had been very lenient with his brother until this happened.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Oct. 2025
Even though Lockett was electrocuted, Kentuckians believed the sentence was too lenient.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lenient
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Netflix has been lenient in other ways.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
The thing, of course, is that King Charles had been very lenient with his brother until this happened.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Oct. 2025
Even though Lockett was electrocuted, Kentuckians believed the sentence was too lenient.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lenient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenient
Adjective
-
Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito signaled views mostly sympathetic to the president.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Lennon, who grew up in a fractured home with little connection to global politics, is sympathetic when the Irish Liberation Army gets in touch and wants to plan concert tours that will raise bail money for their members.—
Whitney Friedlander,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The program aims to teach kids to be compassionate, accountable, respectful, ethical and service-minded in order to foster a positive and inclusive school community.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Abigail Marsh, a psychology and neuroscience professor at Georgetown University, says that despite appearances, people are becoming more compassionate.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In response, Delaware last March passed a law to make the state more alluring, to which Texas quickly counter-punched with an even friendlier law.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The other side of this has been the money in the industry’s pivot first to cheaper talk shows, which don’t innovate enough to merit much critique, and now to a second pivot to turn those interview shows into video series, which makes podcasts more friendly on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Zubac outscored Guangzhou 12-10 in the paint by himself in the first half, and that was with Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue being merciful.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Not to be the guy to be merciful and fly out benignly to right field for the game’s final out.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Be Sympathetic In the days following daylight saving time, try to be more forgiving if your child is throwing extra temper tantrums or seems to be particularly frustrated or emotional.—
Dina Roth Port,
Parents,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Pete Dye–designed, 36-hole layout includes the famed Straits Course, which runs along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, and the Irish Course, its slightly more forgiving inland counterpart.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Fortunately, there's usually plenty of pleasant autumn days after the first frost to tackle the remaining fall gardening tasks at a more leisurely rate.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Today the Moon in your sign is dancing with fair Venus creating pleasant feelings between you and everyone else.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The investigation has resulted in Wallace being charged with concealment of death from unnatural causes, patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities, police said.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
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His focus was on treating her as an individual and patient, not as a statistic.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
This can support the aircraft’s weight, allowing a gentle descent with the wings level.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
-
And so, shortly after his startling, spirit-lifting victory in the primary last spring, the gentle flood of inquiries commenced.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenient. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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