ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Lenient

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈliːni.ənt/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Lenient is an adjective meaning Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.

Meaning

Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.

More Meanings

  1. (medicine) A lenitive; an emollient.

Example Sentences

The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.
But 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.

Word Forms

Synonyms for lenient

Depending on context, synonyms include clement, easygoing, forbearing, indulgent, lax, loose-handed.

Antonyms for lenient

Common opposites include despotic, draconian, heavy-handed, severe, stern, strict.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include soft, permissive, easy, clement, indulgent, undemanding.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.