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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One of the largest mercy restaurant operations in Algiers is run across different neighborhoods by the Algerian Red Crescent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
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Seeds and seedlings are at the mercy of their surroundings and require specific environmental conditions for optimal germination and growth.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Her 10 admissions of guilt were open pleas, indicating they were made without any promise of leniency from either the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office or the Superior Court.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Impassioned New Britain residents argued both from sides at a recent council meeting, with some calling for leniency for Common Council Minority Leader Robert Smedley while others demanded punishment.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This column was published as a pro-con about clemency for Tina Peters.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
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An attorney representing Tina Peters, the former Colorado county clerk convicted in a scheme to breach voting systems in search of evidence of election fraud in 2020, expects the state's Democratic governor to grant her clemency within days.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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