different between lenient vs forgive

English

Etymology

From Middle French lénient, from Latin l?niens, present participle of l?n?re (“to soften, soothe”), from l?nis (“soft”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?li?ni.?nt/

Adjective

lenient (comparative more lenient, superlative most lenient)

1. Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation

   The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion.

   • 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter XVIII

     But in other points, as well as this, I was growing very lenient to my master; I was forgetting all his faults, for which I had once kept a sharp look-out. It had formerly been my endeavour to study all sides of his character; to take the bad with the good; and from the just weighing of both, to form an equitable judgment. Now I saw no bad.

Synonyms

• lax, permissive

Antonyms

• strict
• severe
• stringent
• unlenient

Related terms

• lenience
• leniency
• lenity

Derived terms

• leniently
• unlenient

Translations

Noun

lenient (plural lenients)

1. (medicine) A lenitive; an emollient.

Further reading

• lenient in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• lenient in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• lenient at OneLook Dictionary Search

Latin

Verb

l?nient

1. third-person plural future active indicative of l?ni?

English

Etymology

Alternation (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, for?iven, from Old English for?iefan (“to forgive, give up, provide”), from Proto-Germanic *frageban? (“to give away; give up; release; forgive”), equivalent to for- +? give (etymologically for- + yive). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie (“to forgive”), West Frisian ferjaan (“to forgive”), Dutch vergeven (“to forgive”), German vergeben (“to forgive”), Icelandic fyrirgefa (“to forgive”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: f?r-g?v', fôr-g?v', IPA^(key): /f?(?)???v/, /f??(?)???v/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /f????v/
• Rhymes: -?v

Verb

forgive (third-person singular simple present forgives, present participle forgiving, simple past forgave, past participle forgiven)

1. (transitive) To pardon; to waive any negative feeling or desire for punishment, retribution, or compensation.

2. (intransitive) To accord forgiveness.
   • a. 1768, Laurence Sterne, Joseph's History considered; - Forgiveness of Injuries (sermon)

     The brave know only how to forgive […] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.

Derived terms

• forgivable
• forgiveness
• forgiveworthy

Translations

References

• forgive in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• forgive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.