as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
a social critic who argues that judicial lenity is chiefly to blame for the increased criminality that plagues us
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Recent Examples of lenity
Twelve judges sided with Cargill and concluded that the definition of machine gun was ambiguous enough to invoke a legal principle known as the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret unclear criminal laws in a way that's most favorable to the defendant.
—
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenity
Noun
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Jeff Zients’ role in authorizing this mechanical mercy raises serious ethical concerns.—
Sreedhar Potarazu,
Baltimore Sun,
19 July 2025
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In commending the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, the Holy Father prays for the consolation of those who grieve and for the recovery of the injured.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 July 2025
Noun
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His defense attorney at the time, Brooke Wells, argued for leniency, saying that Menzies had a long history of being abused and neglected as a child and had been diagnosed with mental disorders, the Tribune reported.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
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Exactly what punishment prosecutors are asking for and any arguments for leniency from Antle’s attorneys were kept from the public before Tuesday morning’s hearing in federal court in Charleston.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Greg Mingo, a graduate of P.E.I. who received clemency from then Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021, after forty years of incarceration, has spent the time since his release engaged in activism on behalf of the incarcerated and the recently released.—
Brooke Allen,
New Yorker,
12 July 2025
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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks before signing an executive order for a new clemency program that will pardon thousands of people as Newark and the nation celebrates Juneteenth on June 19, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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