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Forgiving vs Lenient - What's the difference?

forgiving | lenient |

As adjectives the difference between forgiving and lenient

is that forgiving is inclined to forgive while lenient is lax; tolerant of deviation; permissive; not strict.

As nouns the difference between forgiving and lenient

is that forgiving is an act of forgiveness while lenient is a lenitive; an emollient.

As a verb forgiving

is present participle of lang=en.

forgiving

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Inclined to forgive.
    • I am not very forgiving .

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act of forgiveness.
  • * 1996 , Bernard P. Dauenhauer, Citizenship in a Fragile World (page 58)
    • And I receive your forgiveness only from you. A group's promises and forgivings are nothing more than the sum of its individual members' promises and forgivings.

    lenient

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Lax; tolerant of deviation; permissive; not strict.
    • The standard is fairly lenient , so use your discretion.
  • * 1847 , , (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

    Related terms

    * lenience * leniency * lenity

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (medicine) A lenitive; an emollient.

    • External links

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