lenient
UK: ˈliːniənt | US: ˈliːniənt
adj. showing tolerance or gentleness; not strict or harsh
adj. mild or soothing in effect (e.g., climate, medicine)
The word "lenient" traces back to the Latin lenis (soft, mild), which also gave rise to words like "leniency" and "alleviate." The suffix -ent (from Latin -entem) forms adjectives indicating a quality or state. Historically, "lenient" described physical softness (e.g., a gentle touch) before evolving to denote metaphorical gentleness (e.g., lax rules). The shift reflects how tactile qualities often extend to abstract behaviors in language.
The teacher was lenient with deadlines for students who tried their best.
Judges are sometimes more lenient toward first-time offenders.
The climate in this region is lenient, with no extreme temperatures.
Her lenient parenting style allowed her children more freedom.
The doctor prescribed a lenient treatment to avoid side effects.