clemency
/ˈklɛmənsi
/noun [mass noun]
Mercy; lenience: an appeal for clemency...
- When the Prison Commission discussed the virtues of parole it invoked ideas of mercy and clemency.
- In effect, he argues that indiscriminate clemency for murderers perverts both justice and mercy.
- Nine years later, after having had countless appeals and pleas for clemency rejected, Bleach, 52, is returning home.
Synonyms
mercy, mercifulness, leniency, lenience, mildness, indulgence, forbearance, quarter;
compassion, humanity, pity, sympathy, kindness, magnanimity, benignity, charity, grace, humaneness, humanitarianism, soft-heartedness, tenderness
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin clementia, from clemens, clement- 'clement'.