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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Things got so bad for NFL players against Team USA that FOX broadcasters Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen openly wondered if there was a mercy rule in flag football.—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Even so, there’s a mercy in the omission.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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So the real question is, are these tax leniency laws actually helping any businesses run or what problem?—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
19 Mar. 2026
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Pike’s lawyers and family members pleaded for leniency, citing Pike’s significant health problems and important role in his family.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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He was sentenced to 40 months in prison but was later granted clemency.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
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For now, Dershowitz said his focus will be on the broader legal stakes and the timing of any clemency effort.—
Chloe Melas,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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