lenient

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lenient

/ˈliːni.ənt/

Where it comes from

From Middle French lénient, from Latin lēniēns (whence -i- + -ent), present participle of lēnīre (“to soften, soothe”), from lēnis (“soft”).

adjective more lenient · most lenient

Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation. The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.
Similar: clement, permissive, forgiving, relaxed, lenient, merciable, mercied, merciful, pitiful, relentful, ruthful, safe · Opposite: strict, severe, stringent, unlenient

Opposite: despotic, draconian, heavy-handed, severe, stern, strict, stringent, tough, unlenient

noun lenients

A lenitive; an emollient.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: soft, permissive, easy, clement, indulgent, undemanding, lax, relaxed, slack, relax, slight, softened, low-level, minor, small, modest

adjective

Opposite: despotic, draconian, heavy-handed, severe, stern, strict, stringent, tough, unlenient

Translations

Every language

adj tolerant; not strict

Español	leniente, de manga ancha
中文	宽大 kuāndà, 宽松 kuānsōng
Português	leniente
Français	indulgent, permissif, laxiste
Deutsch	nachsichtig, milde
Italiano	permissivo, tollerante, indulgente
Ελληνικά	επιεικής epieikís
Română	tolerant, tolerantă, indulgent, blând, îngăduitor
Русский	снисходи́тельный snisxodítelʹnyj, мя́гкий mjáxkij, терпи́мый terpímyj

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MLA

"lenient." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lenient. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lenient. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lenient

Chicago

"lenient." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lenient.

BibTeX

@misc{lenient_2026,
  title = {lenient},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lenient},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}