Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lenient

/ˈliːni.ənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.13 in modern English

Syllables
le-nient
IPA
/ˈliːni.ənt/
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.

noun

A lenitive; an emollient.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle French lénient, from Latin lēniēns (whence -i- + -ent), present participle of lēnīre (“to soften, soothe”), from lēnis (“soft”).

Inflected Forms

more lenient (comparative) most lenient (superlative) lenients (plural)

Derived Forms

leniently overlenient superlenient ultralenient unlenient

Frequently Paired Words

lenience leniency lenity adespotic apathetic carefree careless loose

Synonyms

clement permissive forgiving relaxed lenient merciable mercied merciful pitiful relentful ruthful safe

Antonyms

strict severe stringent unlenient despotic draconian heavy-handed stern tough

Questions

How do you pronounce lenient?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈliːni.ənt/.
What does lenient mean?
Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.
Where does lenient come from?
From Middle French lénient, from Latin lēniēns (whence -i- + -ent), present participle of lēnīre (“to soften, soothe”), from lēnis (“soft”).

How to pronounce lenient

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lenient”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈliːni.ənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lenient”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lenient” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.