🇬🇧🇨🇳 lenient - 宽容 : English Lesson

Meaning of "lenient" ("宽容"), detailed definition, and a short video lesson below.

If someone is lenient, they are not very harsh when enforcing rules or punishments. A lenient teacher might let you turn in your homework a day late without getting in trouble, and a lenient parent might let you have dessert even if you didn’t eat your vegetables. Being lenient means being forgiving, easygoing, and sometimes a little too nice!

Watch and listen to this English flashcard to understand the word in more detail, with an easy example sentence.

Grandpa is lenient—he let me have ice cream for breakfast and cookies for dinner.

Grandma is lenient with rules… unless you mess with her knitting supplies.

Dad tried to be lenient with screen time, but then I spent 12 hours watching cat videos.

The librarian was lenient about late books, as long as you brought her a donut.

My cat is lenient—he only yells at me if I’m five minutes late feeding him instead of one.

A boy knocks over a vase. His teacher looks at the water and flowers, then at the shaking boy. She is lenient, gives him a towel, and asks in a lenient voice. He cries. She stays lenient, with a lenient smile and a lenient nod, and helps sweep. The class watches. The boy hugs her, relieved.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.