lenient


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Related to lenient: companionable

le·ni·ent

 (lē′nē-ənt, lēn′yənt)
adj.
1. Inclined not to be harsh or strict; merciful or indulgent: lenient parents.
2. Not harsh or strict; merciful or generous: lenient rules.

[Obsolete French, from Latin lēniēns, lēnient-, present participle of lēnīre, to pacify, from lēnis, soft; see lē- in Indo-European roots.]

le′ni·ent·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lenient

(ˈliːnɪənt)
adj
1. showing or characterized by mercy or tolerance
2. (Historical Terms) archaic caressing or soothing
[C17: from Latin lēnīre to soothe, from lēnis soft]
ˈleniency, ˈlenience n
ˈleniently adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

le•ni•ent

(ˈli ni ənt, ˈlin yənt)

adj.
1. agreeably tolerant; not strict or severe; indulgent: to be lenient toward the children.
2. Archaic.soothing.
[1645–55; < Latin lēnient-, s. of lēniēns, present participle of lēnīre to soften, alleviate. See lenis, -ent]
le′ni•en•cy, le′ni•ence, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.lenient - tolerant or lenient; "indulgent parents risk spoiling their children"; "too soft on the children"; "they are soft on crime"
permissive - granting or inclined or able to grant permission; not strict in discipline; "direct primary legislation is largely permissive rather than prescriptive"; "permissive parents"
2.lenient - not strict; "an easy teacher"; "easy standards"; "lenient rules"; "an easy penalty"
undemanding - requiring little if any patience or effort or skill; "the pay was adequate and the job undemanding"; "simple undemanding affection"; "an undemanding boss"
3.lenient - characterized by tolerance and mercy
clement - (used of persons or behavior) inclined to show mercy; "a more clement judge reduced the sentence"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

lenient

adjective merciful, sparing, gentle, forgiving, kind, tender, mild, tolerant, compassionate, clement, indulgent, forbearing The Professor takes a slightly more lenient view.
severe, strict, harsh, stern, rigid, rigorous, stringent, merciless
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

lenient

adjective
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مُتَساهِل، مُتَعاطِف
shovívavý
mild
lempeä
miskunnsamur, mildur
atlaidžiainegriežtas
iecietīgs

lenient

[ˈliːnɪənt] ADJ [sentence, treatment] → benévolo, poco severo; [person, attitude] → indulgente, poco severo
to be lenient with sbser indulgente or poco severo con algn
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lenient

[ˈliːniənt] adjindulgent(e); [sentence] → léger/ère; [treatment] → indulgent(e); [person] → indulgent(e); [view, approach] → indulgent(e)
He received an unexpectedly lenient sentence → Il a été condamné à une peine légère contre toute attente.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

lenient

adjnachsichtig (towards gegenüber); judge, attitude, treatment, sentencemilde; to be lenient with somebodymit jdm milde umgehen; to be lenient in one’s assessmentmilde urteilen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lenient

[ˈliːnɪənt] adj (person) → indulgente, clemente; (sentence, punishment) → leggero/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

lenient

(ˈliːniənt) adjective
merciful or punishing only lightly. You are much too lenient with wrongdoers.
ˈleniently adverb
ˈlenience, ˈleniency noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

lenient

a. indulgente, lenitivo-a; consentidor-a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
"You are too lenient, too lenient by far, Leonce," asserted the Colonel.
I am afraid I have often been too indulgent, but my poor Frederica's temper could never bear opposition well: you must support and encourage me; you must urge the necessity of reproof if you see me too lenient." All this sounds very reasonable.
He did not distinguish what sort of love his might be, big or little, passionate or passionless, lasting or passing (he kept a ballet girl himself, though he was the father of a family, so he was lenient in these matters), but he knew that this love affair was viewed with displeasure by those whom it was necessary to please, and therefore he did not approve of his brother's conduct.
"I would ask you, dearest, to be very generous with him always, and very lenient on his faults when he is not by.
A small notice in an obscure corner had attracted his attention; the young man, Richardson, had been fished out of the river half drowned, and in view of his tearful and abject penitence, had been allowed to go his way by a lenient magistrate.
I set myself above him and so become much worse than he, for he is lenient to my rudeness while I on the contrary nourish contempt for him.
Ogg's smiled pleasantly, and did not wonder that Kenn liked to see a fine pair of eyes daily, or that he was inclined to take so lenient a view of the past; the feminine mind, regarded at that period as less powerful, took a more melancholy view of the case.
But it very rarely happens that the men who do desert, are happy or contented afterwards; and many instances have been known in which they have confessed their grievous disappointment, and their earnest desire to return to their old service if they could but be assured of pardon, or lenient treatment.
The same perplexity will invariably haunt us with regard to natures that tend to feed exclusively upon the Beautiful, let their earthly fate be as lenient as it may.
Ona was quite certain that she would find her place gone, and was all unnerved when she finally got to Brown's, and found that the forelady herself had failed to come, and was therefore compelled to be lenient.
"All that is true, Senor Don Quixote," said Carrasco; "but I wish such fault-finders were more lenient and less exacting, and did not pay so much attention to the spots on the bright sun of the work they grumble at; for if aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus, they should remember how long he remained awake to shed the light of his work with as little shade as possible; and perhaps it may be that what they find fault with may be moles, that sometimes heighten the beauty of the face that bears them; and so I say very great is the risk to which he who prints a book exposes himself, for of all impossibilities the greatest is to write one that will satisfy and please all readers."
"And you, being a good man, can pass it as such, and forgive and pity the dreamer, and be lenient and encouraging when he wakes?"