Definition of LENIENT (original) (raw)
1
: of mild and tolerant disposition or effect : not harsh, severe, or strict
2
: exerting a soothing or easing influence : relieving pain or stress
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.
Examples of lenient in a Sentence
By giving one more person—the executive—the power to reduce (but not to increase) punishments, our constitutions (both Federal and state) seem to be sending an important message: that in a world in which errors are inevitable, it is better to err on the side of overly lenient, rather than overly harsh, punishment. —
Alan M. Dershowitz, New York Times Book Review, 16 July 1989 He could trust himself, he said … to be more lenient than perhaps his father had been to himself; his danger, he said … would be rather in the direction of being too indulgent … —Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh, 1903 But in other points, as well as this, I was growing very lenient to my master: I was forgetting all his faults, for which I had once kept a sharp look-out. —Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
a teacher who is lenient with students who have misbehaved Many people felt that the punishment was too lenient.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Californians have pushed back on the rise in crime, most notably by recalling, in 2022, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a left-wing prosecutor who favored a lenient approach to criem. —Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024 In his four years as the district attorney in the nation’s second-largest city, progressive Gascón sought solutions for America’s mass incarceration dilemma that many deemed too lenient and said fueled lawlessness and led to crimes committed with impunity. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024 In general, ancient Egypt had a more lenient perspective toward the legislative and legal position of women, but this was diminished in some capacity when the region became part of the Roman Empire in the first century B.C.E., Naether says. —Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024 Others have accused Harris of going soft on criminals by approving lenient plea deals. —Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lenient 
Word History
Etymology
Latin lenient-, leniens, present participle of lenire to soften, soothe, from lenis soft, mild; probably akin to Lithuanian lėnas tranquil — more at let entry 1
First Known Use
1652, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of lenient was in 1652
Dictionary Entries Near lenient
Cite this Entry
“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenient. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
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Last Updated: 17 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences
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