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
-
Staying for now and hoping for the best may be the most realistic option, although that leaves companies at the mercy of an opaque legal system.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
If there were ever a case for a mercy rule in basketball, this weekend made it.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At his April 2021 sentencing, Ullah requested leniency.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Key witnesses in the government’s case included Spann’s top henchmen, who cooperated with prosecutors in hopes for leniency.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Chan Thao Phoumy, 62, was executed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, despite French authorities’ clemency appeals, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Saturday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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The state Constitution explicitly gives the governor the power to grant clemency and commute prison sentences.—
Steve Zeidman,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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