Word of the Day

: November 3, 2021

lenient

adjective LEEN-yunt

What It Means

Lenient means "not harsh, severe, or strict."

// The teacher was lenient in her grading after the holiday break.

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lenient in Context

"When it comes to growing up, we're all split into two camps: those with lenient parents and those with strict parents." — Nicky Idika, PopBuzz, 8 May 2017

Did You Know?

Lenient comes from lenis, the Latin word for "soft" or "mild." It was originally applied to something soothing that relieved pain or stress; the related lenitive has the same meaning. Linguists also borrowed lenis to describe speech sounds that are softened—for instance, the "t" sound in gutter.