leniency
/ˈliːniənsi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈliːniənsi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlē-nē-ən(t)-sē -nyən(t)-sē/ (ame, mw)
leniency — noun
1. the practice of treating someone less harshly than usual when they have broken a
the practice of treating someone less harshly than usual when they have broken a rule or done something wrong — for example, a judge giving a lighter prison sentence than the law normally requires, or a parent deciding not to ground a child who came home late.
Judge Okonkwo showed leniency toward the young man by giving him community service instead of a prison sentence.
collocation: show leniency toward someone; legal context
The school board decided to show leniency and let the students retake the failed exam.
collocation: show leniency
Tomas accidentally spilled paint on the library carpet, and the school librarian showed leniency after he helped clean it up.
The apartment manager granted leniency on the late rent because the tenant had lost her job.
- clemency
more formal and narrower — used almost exclusively in legal contexts, especially for reducing a criminal sentence or a governor's pardon
- mercy
emphasises compassion or forgiveness, often with a moral or religious tone; broader than leniency
- forbearance
formal; stresses patient self-restraint rather than reducing a penalty
- severity
the opposite of leniency; harshness or strictness in punishment
- strictness
rigid enforcement of rules without bending
文法句型
show leniency (toward/to someone)
grant leniency (to someone)
ask for / plead for / beg for leniency
leniency in [noun/-ing form]
用法筆記
The adjective form lenient is far more common in everyday speech ('My teacher was lenient about the deadline'). Leniency itself tends to appear in more formal or written contexts, especially legal or institutional settings.