Antonyms for lenient
ˈli ni ənt, ˈlin yəntle·nient

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.3 / 3 votes

1. lenientadjective

   Antonyms:
   severe, strict

   Synonyms:
   permissive, lax

2. lenientadjective

   lax; tolerant of deviation; permissive; not strict

   The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.

   Synonyms:
   permissive, lax

   Antonyms:
   severe, strict

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. lenient

   Antonyms:
   absolute, arbitrary, arrogant, authoritative, autocratic, coercive, commanding, compulsive, compulsory, controlling, despotic, dictatorial, dogmatic, domineering, exacting, haughty, imperative, imperious, irresponsible, lordly, overbearing, peremptory, positive, supreme, tyrannical, unconditional, unequivocal

   Synonyms:
   accountable, complaisant, compliant, conditional, constitutional, contingent, docile, ductile, gentle, humble, limited, lowly, meek, mild, responsible, submissive, yielding

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. indulgent, lenient, softadjective

   tolerant or lenient

   "indulgent parents risk spoiling their children"; "too soft on the children"; "they are soft on crime"

   Antonyms:
   inclement, demanding, unpermissive

   Synonyms:
   cushy, indulgent, mild, easy, piano, balmy, voiced, soft, delicate, flabby, subdued, diffuse, flaccid, gentle, sonant, easygoing, diffused

2. lenientadjective

   not strict

   "an easy teacher"; "easy standards"; "lenient rules"; "an easy penalty"

   Antonyms:
   demanding, unpermissive, inclement

   Synonyms:
   indulgent, soft

3. lenientadjective

   characterized by tolerance and mercy

   Antonyms:
   unpermissive, demanding, inclement

   Synonyms:
   indulgent, soft

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. lenientadjective

   Synonyms:
   compassionate, merciful

Editors ContributionRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. draconian

   excessively harsh

   ''he spanked his kid for a ''white lie", which i think is a bit draconian.

   Submitted by anonymous on December 7, 2020  

How to use lenient in a sentence?

1. Lawmaker Jin Sunmee:

   Our justice system is too lenient to offenders and it is heartbreaking to think the system has missed its golden time to protect our children.

2. Leon Rodriguez:

   There's been a very remarkable increase in the number of people asking for asylum in the last five or six years or so, and ... it looks very much like people were trying to take advantage of a very lenient system and one they would not be penalized for using and that motivates illegal immigration and harms the integrity of our legal immigration system.

3. Sheldon Whitehouse:

   If you look at her record as a federal judge in criminal cases and particularly cases concerning child pornography over and over and over again, she gives incredibly lenient sentences.

4. Paul Manafort:

   There were moments that I will talk about this in the book when they were putting pressure on me to admit the facts that weren't true, and I'll talk about those facts and those expectations. The quid pro quo that was understood was that I would be treated in a very lenient way, they didn't understand that there was no way I was going to lie and there was no way that they could force me into giving up the president. I never felt uncomfortable talking to them because I knew that as long as I told the truth, I had nothing to fear, but I was wrong.

5. Josh Hawley:

   The horror of child pornography is exponentially worse than it was a decade ago, and judges handing out lenient sentences for these criminals is a big reason why, while the White House continues to dismiss concerns about leniency toward child porn offenders as a ‘desperate conspiracy theory,’ the numbers speak for themselves. Congress must act before this problem becomes even worse.

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