as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
the judge chose to show clemency to the truly repentant embezzler
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Recent Examples of clemency
Trump gives clemency to more than two dozen, including political allies.
—
Dani Blum, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Trump and his deputies have signaled that the Justice Department’s focus on violent extremism is over, starting with the president’s clemency order for militants charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 31 May 2025
Amid calls for tough punishments, clemency for high-level drug traffickers
Trump's clemency for Hoover and other drug offenders follows a pattern that began during his first term in the White House.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 31 May 2025
Their daughter, Savannah, had lobbied for clemency, which Trump granted in May.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clemency
Dani Blum, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Trump and his deputies have signaled that the Justice Department’s focus on violent extremism is over, starting with the president’s clemency order for militants charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 31 May 2025
Amid calls for tough punishments, clemency for high-level drug traffickers
Trump's clemency for Hoover and other drug offenders follows a pattern that began during his first term in the White House.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 31 May 2025
Their daughter, Savannah, had lobbied for clemency, which Trump granted in May.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clemency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clemency
Noun
-
When sending and receiving payments, SMBs can find themselves at the mercy of exchange rates.—
Visa Contributor,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
-
But Cuomo and others are wrong to assume that the city is at the mercy of Capitol lawmakers.—
Paul Sonn,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2025
Noun
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The judge cited the defendants' ages and health concerns as reasons for leniency.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
6 June 2025
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Mia Matthews, ex-wife of Palm Beach real estate swindler and Rowland friend Robert Matthews, was in federal court Thursday in Bridgeport where, after pleading for leniency, she was sentenced to probation and fined $6,000 for evading $2.75 million in taxes with her former husband.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clemency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clemency. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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