Lenient Definition

lēnē-ənt, lēnyənt
adjective
Inclined not to be harsh or strict; merciful or indulgent.
Lenient parents.
American Heritage
Not harsh or severe in disciplining, punishing, judging, etc.; mild; merciful; clement.
Webster's New World
Soothing.
Webster's New World
The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.
Wiktionary
noun

(medicine) A lenitive; an emollient.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Lenient

Noun

Singular:
lenient
Plural:
lenients

Origin of Lenient

  • Obsolete French from Latin lēniēns lēnient- present participle of lēnīre to pacify from lēnis soft lē- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Latin lÄ“niens, present participle of lÄ“nÄ«re (“to soften, soothe"), from lÄ“nis (“soft").

    From Wiktionary

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to lenient using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

lenient