as in sympathetic
allowing a lot of freedom and not punishing bad behavior in a strong way
a teacher who is lenient with students who have misbehaved The public was outraged by the lenient sentence the corrupt banker received.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lenient
Stein received 130 letters from people advocating that the former senator serve a lenient term, including clergy members, foreign dignitaries, and community groups.
—
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 29 Jan. 2025
Investors are betting that the Trump administration’s focus on deregulation could translate into a more lenient approach to financial oversight than the Biden administration.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Similar offenses have garnered much more lenient sentences — for instance, Blake Benthall, who operated Silk Road 2.0, was sentenced to time served and three years of probation.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 22 Jan. 2025
Instead, Trump received an unconditional discharge, a rare and lenient sentence that reflected the practical and constitutional impossibility of jailing a man who is set to become president in just 10 days.
—Matthew Cullen, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lenient
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 29 Jan. 2025
Investors are betting that the Trump administration’s focus on deregulation could translate into a more lenient approach to financial oversight than the Biden administration.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Similar offenses have garnered much more lenient sentences — for instance, Blake Benthall, who operated Silk Road 2.0, was sentenced to time served and three years of probation.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 22 Jan. 2025
Instead, Trump received an unconditional discharge, a rare and lenient sentence that reflected the practical and constitutional impossibility of jailing a man who is set to become president in just 10 days.
—Matthew Cullen, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lenient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenient
Adjective
-
Some also noted the irony of an act that is perceived to be sympathetic to neo-Nazism to be playing a hall honoring U.S. Veterans.—
Jim Harrington,
The Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2025
-
After Roya appeals to a sympathetic American journalist to write about their plight, the story becomes an international media sensation.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Beyond his incredible work as an actor, Mason is a genuinely kind and compassionate individual who fosters a spirit of acceptance and collaboration in our theatre program.—
Heide Janssen,
Orange County Register,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Be calm, be compassionate, be creative, be careful.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
There is a legacy out there of bad harvests and tough winters that by some alchemy brings out the best in people, reminds them to be friendly and kind, and put others first.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2025
-
The doorman is very friendly and asks if there’s a party going on.—
Devan Díaz,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Church also believes in and supports the efforts of nations to regulate borders and control immigration, provided it is done in a way that is both just and merciful.—
William McCarthy,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The Gospel's beatitudes—blessed are the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers—stand in stark opposition to the movement's rhetoric of anger and grievance.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
And engineers designed Blue Ghost's landing legs to be more forgiving in uneven terrain or during an off-balance landing.—
Kristin Shaw,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
-
But Tuesday’s game in Nationwide versus Dallas will be a much stiffer test, and the Stars won’t be so forgiving.—
Aaron Portzline,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
What might have been a pleasant interlude turned into an unhappy five-year-old and another frustrating exercise requiring far more customer effort than necessary.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
-
The series expands the universe in a pleasant, mostly unobtrusive fashion, with one-off episodes and fun guest stars like Terry Crews, Embeth Davidtz, Anthony Edwards, and, in its best episode, Parker Posey and Jillian Bell.—
Declan Gallagher,
EW.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Such figures are not surprising to those closely observing how AI is transforming medical workflows, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and improving patient outcomes.—
Paul Kovalenko,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
For its lead program in Friedreich ataxia (FA), the company has observed promising preclinical results, including restoration of frataxin (FXN) levels in patient cells and animal models.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The group was equally adept with dancefloor fodder and gentle ballads.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
-
These exercises can help mitigate the effects Going for a walk is one of the gentlest and healthiest forms of exercise, Gjergja said.—
Melanie Radzicki McManus,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenient. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share