What does lenient mean?

Definitions for lenient
ˈli ni ənt, ˈlin yəntle·nient

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word lenient.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. indulgent, lenient, softadjective

    tolerant or lenient

    "indulgent parents risk spoiling their children"; "too soft on the children"; "they are soft on crime"

  2. lenientadjective

    not strict

    "an easy teacher"; "easy standards"; "lenient rules"; "an easy penalty"

  3. lenientadjective

    characterized by tolerance and mercy

Wiktionary

  1. lenientadjective

    lax; tolerant of deviation; permissive; not strict

    The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Lenientadjective

    Etymology: leniens, Latin.

    Consolatories writ
    With study’d argument, and much persuasion sought,
    Lenient of grief and anxious thought. John Milton, Agonistes.

    In this one passion man can strength enjoy;
    Time, that on all things lays his lenient hand,
    Yet tames not this; it sticks to our last sand. Alexander Pope.

    Oils relax the fibres, are lenient, balsamick, and abate acrimony in the blood. John Arbuthnot, on Aliments.

  2. Lenientnoun

    An emollient, or assuasive application.

    I dressed it with lenients. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.

Wikipedia

  1. lenient

    Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French merci, from Medieval Latin merced-, merces, from Latin, "price paid, wages", from merc-, merxi "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and legal context, mercy may refer both to compassionate behavior on the part of those in power (e.g. mercy shown by a judge toward a convict), or on the part of a humanitarian third party, e.g., a mission of mercy aiming to treat war victims.

ChatGPT

  1. lenient

    Lenient refers to showing or characterized by mercy, tolerance or understanding; being permissive, compassionate, or indulgent. It is often used in the context of a person who is elected to enforce rules or make judgments, such as a parent, teacher, or judge, demonstrating mildness or laxity.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Lenientadjective

    relaxing; emollient; softening; assuasive; -- sometimes followed by of

  2. Lenientadjective

    mild; clement; merciful; not rigorous or severe; as, a lenient disposition; a lenient judge or sentence

  3. Lenientnoun

    a lenitive; an emollient

  4. Etymology: [L. leniens, -entis, p. pr. of lenire to soften, fr. lenis soft, mild. Cf. Lithe.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Lenient

    lē′ni-ent, adj. softening: mild: merciful.—n. (med.) that which softens: an emollient.—ns. Lē′nience, Lē′niency.—adv. Lē′niently.—v.t. Lē′nify (rare), to assuage.—adj. Len′itive, mitigating: laxative.—n. any palliative: (med.) an application for easing pain: a mild purgative.—n. Len′ity, mildness: clemency. [L. leniens, -entis, pr.p. of lenīre, to soften—lenis, soft.]

How to pronounce lenient?

How to say lenient in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of lenient in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of lenient in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of lenient in a Sentence

  1. Jessica Vaughn:

    I think these are important steps because in recent years the system has been set up to favor the applicant and to put the thumb on the scale in favor of the applicant and to make it harder for an asylum officer to reject the claim, even in cases of reasonable doubt or credibility, there's been a very remarkable increase in the number of people asking for asylum in the last five or six years or so, and ... it looks very much like people were trying to take advantage of a very lenient system and one they would not be penalized for using and that motivates illegal immigration and harms the integrity of our legal immigration system.

  2. Josh Hawley:

    The horror of child pornography is exponentially worse than it was a decade ago, and judges handing out lenient sentences for these criminals is a big reason why, while the White House continues to dismiss concerns about leniency toward child porn offenders as a ‘desperate conspiracy theory,’ the numbers speak for themselves. Congress must act before this problem becomes even worse.

  3. Eva Millona:

    It really caused huge anxiety, families were torn apart, children were left in the custody of the state, there’s a bitter taste still in Massachusetts. Some advocates for more lenient immigration policies lauded Michelle DuBois.

  4. Sheldon Whitehouse:

    If you look at her record as a federal judge in criminal cases and particularly cases concerning child pornography over and over and over again, she gives incredibly lenient sentences.

  5. Catherine Salmon:

    Parents are more lenient, so youngest kids tend to be less rules-oriented, and yet they still get lots of attention.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

lenient#10000#54137#100000

Translations for lenient

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for lenient »

Translation

Find a translation for the lenient definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"lenient." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/lenient>.

Discuss these lenient definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for lenient? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    lenient

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    property that provides tax income for local governments
    A vehicle
    B rateables
    C bash
    D staff

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for lenient: