How to Use lenient in a Sentence

lenient

adjective

• Many people felt that the punishment was too lenient.
• But Democrats groused that Mr. Snyder wasn’t indicted and that the charges against the others were too lenient.
  — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2021
• At the height of the pandemic, professors were more lenient, grading pass/fail and extending deadlines.
  — New York Times, 22 Dec. 2021
• Investors in a growth-story stock are more lenient when the top-line begins to slow if the company is reporting bottom-line improvements.
  — David Trainer, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2021
• When leaders are lenient, employees can become entitled, expecting things to always go their way.
  — Chris Cebollero, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2021
• The outrage over the lenient sentence led to the first federal civil rights trial for a crime against an Asian American.
  — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 16 Dec. 2021
• Investigations often end with no charges or lenient sentences, and in many cases witnesses are not even summoned for questioning.
  — Joseph Krauss, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Dec. 2021
• The standard is actually more lenient for taxpayers involved in the very activity that spurred authorities to crack down in the first place: horse racing.
  — Paul Kiel, ProPublica, 8 Dec. 2021
• The area’s lenient winters, ideal for citrus groves, were just as attractive to consumptive European aristocrats.
  — Zoey Poll, Harper’s Magazine , 7 Dec. 2021
• The People’s Daily commented that the law will not be lenient in regulating the development of the new economy.
  — Vivienne Chow, Variety, 23 Dec. 2021
• Her lawyers hope that her plea will make the court more lenient.
  — New York Times, 27 July 2022
• Counties are allowed to adopt rules that are stricter than the state’s, but not more lenient.
  — Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2022
• Just as the Grammys are being too lenient, this is too strict.
  — Paul Grein, Billboard, 25 Jan. 2022
• The trial draws to a close, and while Kelly is found guilty, a very lenient judge only sentences her to five years in prison.
  — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2024
• The new bill, which takes effect May 1, will make Utah one of the most lenient states toward unlicensed child care.
  — Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2024
• One of the people running for Chief Justice wanted to be more lenient.
  — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 19 Oct. 2022
• Foglesong also noted that the old system may have been too lenient.
  — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 May 2023
• Other parents have told Payne that the teachers are not lenient with students who ask to go to the bathroom.
  — Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022
• Wong, Mo and Tai are among those who pleaded guilty, hoping for a more lenient sentence.
  — Brittyn Clennett, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2023
• Those in the sport are split about the resulting fine and punishment, with Mercedes landing on the side of too lenient.
  — K.c. Colwell, Car and Driver, 24 Dec. 2022
• Was the first adjudicator wrong, or was the judge too lenient?
  — Tom Margenau, Dallas News, 29 Jan. 2023
• Both are factors that could prompt the judge to be lenient in sentencing, Cohen said.
  — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2022
• Balwani was convicted on all 12 felony counts, and his lawyers sought a far more lenient sentence of just four to 10 months in prison.
  — Michael Liedtke, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Dec. 2022
• Both have been vocal about easing mask mandates to be as lenient as the state allows.
  — Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2022
• Her lawyer Maria Blagovolina, said last week the legal team would ask the judge for a lenient sentence based on Griner’s guilty plea.
  — Alex Horton, Washington Post, 14 July 2022
• Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison, though she is expected to receive a much more lenient sentence.
  — Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2022
• Right now, the southern part of the state — Fairfield, New Haven and Middlesex counties — doesn’t even meet the more lenient 2008 standards.
  — Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2024
• With more people working from home, guests may be more lenient with their schedules.
  — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 July 2024
• As a result, some airports have become more lenient with the policy, with some European airports even eliminating the restrictions last year.
  — Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2024
• Advertisement Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez expressed similar worries, arguing that binding arbitration would lead to more lenient outcomes for officers accused of serious wrongdoing.
  — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024

Last Updated: 30 Sep 2024