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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Sturm then gave Swayman the mercy pull, which frankly could have happened after the disastrous first.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
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Leading only 3-0 after 3, the Owls brought up 16 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs, 8 with 2 outs, in the bottom fourth to activate the mercy rule.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Graves’s letter asked for leniency from the court as DeValkenaere was beginning his appeal.—
Ben Wheeler
April 29,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
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As written, the chatbot bill would give too much leniency to tech companies, Montoya said.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Chan Thao Phoumy, 62, was executed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, despite French authorities’ clemency appeals, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Saturday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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The state Constitution explicitly gives the governor the power to grant clemency and commute prison sentences.—
Steve Zeidman,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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