LENIENT Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

lenient

adjective

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 Even the most lenient parents often set boundaries on what their children watch. —

wendy Wisner, Parents, 17 Jan. 2026 Lee’s motion instructs the Los Angeles Fire Department to create regulations in line with the most lenient options that allow healthy vegetation and do not require the removal of tree limbs within five feet of a house. —

Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026 As the Giants seek a new head coach — their fifth since two-time Super Bowl champion Tom Coughlin’s departure 10 years ago — players are welcoming the idea of a strict leader after going 20-40-1 under the lenient Brian Daboll, who was fired in November midway through his fourth season. —

Dan Duggan, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026 Given the evidence weighted against Williams and his deal with prosecutors, Guevara was given a more lenient sentence of 10 years. —

Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lenient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenient

Adjective

Will Swenson, the accomplished Broadway actor, offers an unusually sympathetic yet never sentimentalized Sweeney.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
In one corner, the heartless girlboss; in the other, the crackpot conspiracy theorist (who just happens to be more sympathetic and charismatic than such types usually are).

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026