LENITY Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

lenity

noun

ˈle-nə-tē

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenity

Noun

Eventually, every American who wanted to evacuate was evacuated, but thousands of Vietnamese who had worked for or collaborated with the Americans were left to the mercy of the North Vietnamese.

— Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Still, Patel didn’t offer any specifics on how to keep costs down; the company has thus far been at the mercy of component suppliers.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026