Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Characterized by tolerance and mercy: Showing a willingness to allow behavior that others might punish or restrict, often by being more forgiving or understanding than expected.
   • Not strict or severe: Applying rules, standards, or punishments in a way that is mild, gentle, or permissive.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The judge was lenient and gave the first-time offender a light sentence.
  • The school has a lenient policy regarding late assignments.
  • Her lenient parenting style allows her children a lot of freedom.

Advanced Usage

• "to be lenient with someone": to treat someone with more tolerance or forgiveness than is typical.
  • The teacher was lenient with the students who had tried their best.
• "to be lenient towards something": to show tolerance or a lack of strictness regarding a particular type of behavior or action.
  • The new law is more lenient towards minor traffic violations.

Variants and Related Words

• Leniency (n): The quality of being lenient; mercy or tolerance shown in judgment or discipline.
  • He pleaded for leniency from the court.
• Leniently (adv): In a lenient manner.
  • The rules were applied leniently.

Synonyms

• Tolerant: Willing to allow the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.
• Indulgent: Having a tendency to be overly generous or lenient, often to the point of spoiling.
• Permissive: Allowing or characterized by great or excessive freedom of behavior.
• Easygoing: Relaxed and tolerant in attitude or manner.

Antonyms

• Strict: Demanding that rules concerning behavior are obeyed and observed.
• Severe: Very great; intense or strict in judgment or discipline.
• Harsh: Unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses; cruel or severe.
• Stringent: Strict, precise, and exacting.

Related Phrases

• Soft on crime: A phrase describing policies or attitudes that are perceived as not being sufficiently punitive towards criminal activity.
  • The mayor was accused of being soft on crime.
• Go easy on someone: To treat someone less severely than you could.
  • The coach decided to go easy on the team after their tough loss.

Adjective

1. characterized by tolerance and mercy
2. not strict
   • an easy teacher
   • easy standards
   • lenient rules
   • an easy penalty
3. tolerant or lenient
   • indulgent parents risk spoiling their children
   • too soft on the children
   • they are soft on crime