lenient

CEFRC1

/ˈliːni.ənt/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Not strict or severe when punishing or judging someone.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    A lenitive; an emollient.

Examples

  • Extenuating circumstances led the judge to pass a more lenient sentence.

  • He tended to be lenient toward the children.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning
  1. Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.

More examples

In context
  • The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The teacher was very blank and allowed students to submit late homework.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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