Leniency and Retaliation
Opposite meaning words
Leniency
Leniency noun - Kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it.
Usage example: the defense requested leniency in light of their client's lack of a prior criminal record
Retaliation is an antonym for leniency.
Retaliation
Retaliation noun - The act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury.
Usage example: police believe that the murder was in retaliation for an earlier gangland execution
Leniency is an antonym for retaliation.
Cite this Source
Retaliation and Leniency. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/leniency/retaliation
Leniency & Retaliation. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/leniency/retaliation>.
Retaliation or Leniency. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/leniency/retaliation.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "leniency" and "retaliation" have occurred on timeline