Adjacent Words

Lenient definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LE'NIENT, a. [L. leniens, from lenio, lenis, soft, mild.
1. Softening; mitigating; assuasive.
Time, that on all things lays his lenient hand, yet tames not this.
Sometimes with of; as lenient of grief.
2. Laxative; emollient.
Oils relax the fibers, are lenient, balsamic.
LE'NIENT, n. That which softens or assuages; an emollient.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: tolerant or lenient; "indulgent parents risk spoiling their children"; "too soft on the children"; "they are soft on crime" [syn: indulgent, lenient, soft]
2: not strict; "an easy teacher"; "easy standards"; "lenient rules"; "an easy penalty"
3: characterized by tolerance and mercy

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Latin lenient-, leniens, present participle of lenire to soften, soothe, from lenis soft, mild; probably akin to Lithuanian l?nas tranquil — more at let Date: 1652 1. exerting a soothing or easing influence ; relieving pain or stress 2. of mild and tolerant disposition; especially indulgent • leniently adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 merciful, tolerant, not disposed to severity. 2 (of punishment etc.) mild. 3 archaic emollient. Derivatives: lenience n. leniency n. leniently adv. Etymology: L lenire lenit- soothe f. lenis gentle

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lenient Le"ni*ent (l[=e]"n[i^]*ent or l[=e]n"yent), a. [L. leniens, -entis, p. pr. of lenire to soften, fr. lenis soft, mild. Cf. Lithe.] 1. Relaxing; emollient; softening; assuasive; -- sometimes followed by of. ``Lenient of grief.'' --Milton. Of

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lenient Le"ni*ent, n. (Med.) A lenitive; an emollient.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

When someone in authority is lenient, they are not as strict or severe as expected. He believes the government already is lenient with drug traffickers... Professor Oswald takes a sightly more lenient view. ADJ: oft ADJ with n • leniently Many people believe reckless drivers are treated too leniently. ADV: ADV after v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Softening, assuasive, soothing, mitigating, mitigative, lenitive. 2. Mild, gentle, clement, merciful, tender, forbearing, long-suffering. II. n. See lenitive, n.

Moby Thesaurus

Spartan, accepting, accommodating, accommodative, admissive, agreeable, allowing, armed with patience, attentive, balmy, bland, bleeding, careless, charitable, clement, commiserative, compassionate, complaisant, condolent, consenting, considerate, delicate, disciplined, easy, easygoing, endurant, enduring, faint, forbearant, forbearing, forgiving, generous, gentle, heedful, helpful, human, humane, impotent, imprecise, indifferent, indulgent, kind, kindly, lax, long-suffering, longanimous, loose, magnanimous, melting, merciful, mild, mindful, mindful of others, moderate, negligent, nonprohibitive, obliging, overindulgent, overpermissive, patient, patient as Job, permissive, permitting, persevering, philosophical, pitying, regardful, relaxed, remiss, ruthful, self-controlled, slack, slipshod, sloppy, smooth, soft, softhearted, solicitous, sparing, stoic, suffering, sympathetic, sympathizing, tactful, tender, tenderhearted, thoughtful, tolerant, tolerating, tolerative, understanding, unprohibitive, unrestrained, warmhearted, weak