as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
a social critic who argues that judicial lenity is chiefly to blame for the increased criminality that plagues us
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Recent Examples of lenity
Twelve judges sided with Cargill and concluded that the definition of machine gun was ambiguous enough to invoke a legal principle known as the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret unclear criminal laws in a way that's most favorable to the defendant.
—
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenity
Noun
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The current drift toward authoritarian leaders in this fractured world will leave international relations at the mercy of their whims, dreams, and follies.—
Margaret MacMillan,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2025
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In an age where mercy often feels in short supply, Francis insisted there was no bottom to God's well of forgiveness.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This collections cliff arrives after a period when defaulted borrowers might have grown accustomed to leniency so that the shock could be substantial.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Per The Hollywood Reporter, Maldonado-Passage asked for leniency on his sentence amid his diagnosis, with his attorney claiming at his resentencing that Maldonado-Passage was not receiving proper medical care.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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They are already scheduled to appear before the board on June 13 as part of a comprehensive risk assessment report ordered by Newsom, who is considering the brothers’ clemency request – a separate potential path out of prison.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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Newsom has also scheduled a June parole board hearing date to determine whether an application for clemency can go forward.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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