Lenient

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈliːniÉ™nt/

Origin

From Latin lēniens, present participle of lēnīre ("to soften, soothe"), from lēnis ("soft").

Full definition of lenient

Adjective

1. Lax; tolerant of deviation; permissive; not strict.The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.
• 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter XVIIIBut in other points, as well as this, I was growing very lenient to my master; I was forgetting all his faults, for which I had once kept a sharp look-out. It had formerly been my endeavour to study all sides of his character; to take the bad with the good; and from the just weighing of both, to form an equitable judgment. Now I saw no bad.

Synonyms

• lax, permissive

Antonyms

• strict
• severe
• stringent

Related terms

• lenience
• leniency
• lenity

Noun

1. (medicine) A lenitive; an emollient.