clemency
noun
clem·en·cy
ˈkle-mən(t)-sē 
plural clemencies
1
a
: disposition to be merciful and especially to moderate the severity of punishment due
The judge ignored the prisoner's pleas for clemency.
b
: an act or instance of leniency
The governor's clemencies saved the lives of many death-row prisoners.
2
: pleasant mildness of weather
The fair was a great success, owing to the clemency of the weather.
Synonyms
Examples of clemency in a Sentence
The President has granted clemency to several people this month.
the judge chose to show clemency to the truly repentant embezzler
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump granted clemency to more than 200 people during his first term, including his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
—
Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2024
In the modern era, President Barack Obama granted clemency to a federal death row inmate with an intellectual disability and commuted the death sentence of someone on military death row, according to Maher, at the Death Penalty Information Center.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 19 Nov. 2024
His appeals gained national attention, with more than 20 people – including two jurors, the judge from Moore's original trial and a former director of the state prison system – asking McMaster to spare Moore's life by granting him clemency, The Associated Press reported.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
In an interview for a video that accompanied his clemency petition, Moore expressed remorse for the killing of Mahoney.
—CBS News, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clemency 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2024
In the modern era, President Barack Obama granted clemency to a federal death row inmate with an intellectual disability and commuted the death sentence of someone on military death row, according to Maher, at the Death Penalty Information Center.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 19 Nov. 2024
His appeals gained national attention, with more than 20 people – including two jurors, the judge from Moore's original trial and a former director of the state prison system – asking McMaster to spare Moore's life by granting him clemency, The Associated Press reported.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
In an interview for a video that accompanied his clemency petition, Moore expressed remorse for the killing of Mahoney.
—CBS News, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clemency
Articles Related to clemency
Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week -...
Dictionary lookups from Jacob Chansley, Julius Jones, Malcolm X, Gosar, and a fentanyl seizure.
The Words of the Week - 2/21/20
Some of the words that defined the week of February 21, 2020
Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2019
Our Word of the Year 'they,' plus 10 more
Dictionary Entries Near clemency
Cite this Entry
“Clemency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clemency. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clemency
noun
clem·en·cy
ˈklem-ən-sē
plural clemencies
1
: disposition to be merciful
2
: an act or instance of mercy
Legal Definition
clemency
noun
clem·en·cy
ˈkle-mən-sē
plural clemencies
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share