How to Use lenient in a Sentence

lenient

adjective

• Many people felt that the punishment was too lenient.
• Her lawyers hope that her plea will make the court more lenient.
  — New York Times, 27 July 2022
• Stevens said the deal was too lenient, given the years Handy's victims spent in prison.
  — Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 28 May 2021
• Counties are allowed to adopt rules that are stricter than the state’s, but not more lenient.
  — Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2022
• Such is the lenient envy with which age regards the idleness of youth.
  — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2021
• Just as the Grammys are being too lenient, this is too strict.
  — Paul Grein, Billboard, 25 Jan. 2022
• But again, given the high-profile nature of the case, a judge may not have been been so lenient as to accept the plea.
  — Natalie Hope McDonald, Vulture, 29 Nov. 2021
• There has been an attempt at being more lenient to Blacks.
  — David Marchese, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2021
• The outcome might be the proverbial slap on the wrist by the usually lenient Michigan Supreme Court.
  — Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 30 Sep. 2024
• 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
• If you have been betrayed by a spouse, though, the new system may seem lenient on the offender.
  — The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 June 2021
• Smith’s family was lenient when the club fell behind on its rent, which is now $700 a month.
  — Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
• Some state agencies and schools have been more lenient, giving large swaths of their workforce a pass.
  — oregonlive, 17 Oct. 2021
• 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
• But the court was more lenient than prosecutors had hoped, with many sentenced to less than a decade in prison.
  — John Leicester, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
• 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
• In Iowa has taken a more lenient approach to non-lawyers, who provide their clients guidance with the CTA.
  — Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024
• 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
• The most lenient is a warning letter to the landlord, with no further follow-up.
  — Cecilia Reyes, chicagotribune.com, 23 Apr. 2021
• 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
• Some teachers enforced a strict no-phones rule in their classrooms, while others were more lenient.
  — Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Jan. 2025
• As a result, wealthy collectors are increasingly moving to Italy and the UAE, where fiscal regimes are more lenient.
  — The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 13 Jan. 2025

Last Updated: 27 Feb 2025