[lee-nee-uh
nt, leen-yuhnt] 
| 1. | agreeably tolerant; permissive; indulgent: He tended to be lenient toward the children. More lenient laws encouraged greater freedom of expression. |
| 2. | Archaic. softening, soothing, or alleviative. |
| le·ni·ent (lē'nē-ənt, lēn'yənt) adj. Inclined not to be harsh or strict; merciful, generous, or indulgent: lenient parents; lenient rules. [Obsolete French, from Latin lēniēns, lēnient-, present participle of lēnīre, to pacify, from lēnis, soft; see lē- in Indo-European roots.] le'ni·ent·ly adv. |