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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As Shiva, Afshari is a revelation of steely resolve, a pragmatist who holds fast to her conciliatory principles until a final scene that pushes her capacity for mercy to its limits.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
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Wounded and bewildered, Theresa vows—silently—never to have that feeling again, never to be at anyone else’s mercy.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a proffer, a defendant provides information to prosecutors in exchange for a plea deal or leniency.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
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Ahead of his sentencing, Combs wrote a letter to the judge pleading for leniency.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to take up her appeal, leaving a pardon or clemency as perhaps her only remaining legal avenue to reduce or remove her sentence.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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The acknowledgment came amid a broader conversation about clemency, sparked by questions over the potential pardon of Ghislaine Maxwell.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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