lenient

[lee-nee-uhnt, leen-yuhnt] / ˈli ni ənt, ˈlin yənt /

ADJECTIVE

permissive

Synonyms

STRONGEST

benign compassionate compliant forgiving indulgent sympathetic tolerant

WEAK

allowing amiable assuaging assuasive being big benignant charitable clement complaisant condoning easy easygoing emollient excusing favoring forbearing gentle going easy on good-natured humoring kind kindly letting live with loving merciful mild mollycoddling obliging pampering pardoning permitting soft soft-shell softhearted sparing spoiling tender yielding

Antonyms

STRONGEST

hateful merciless

WEAK

hard intolerant limiting restrictive rigorous severe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Last week, a judge in Moscow added two more years to the sentence, after ruling Davies' initial jail term was too lenient.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

City Council moved to adopt relatively lenient “Zone Zero” laws for homes in fire danger zones, measures that do not align with the plans that state agencies are working to enact.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

But as of now, there are enough tailwinds in place—including more lenient tax policy, higher vehicle demand, and consistent retiree spending—to keep expenditures steady during the first quarter.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Companies are pursuing larger deals, with some seeing an opportunity in a more lenient antitrust environment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

After each session, Santicl6 is supposed to collect them, but he’s pretty lenient with us.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Vocabulary lists containing lenient

List 3

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Refugee

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

A Doll's House

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!