Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A disposition to show mercy, especially toward an offender or enemy. synonym: mercy.
- noun A merciful, kind, or lenient act.
- noun Mildness, especially of weather.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The quality of being clement; mildness of temper, as shown by a superior to an inferior, or by an aggrieved person to the offender; disposition to spare or forgive; mercy; leniency; forbearance.
- noun Softness or mildness, as of the elements: as, the clemency of the weather.
- noun Synonyms Mercifulness, indulgence, forgiveness, compassion, tenderness, gentleness.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Disposition to forgive and spare, as offenders; mildness of temper; gentleness; tenderness; mercy.
- noun Mildness or softness of the elements.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
gentle orkind exercise ofpower ;leniency ,mercy ; compassion in judging or punishing. - noun
Mildness ofweather .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
- noun good weather with comfortable temperatures
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Enraged at this contempt of what he called his clemency, at Haarlem, Alva resolved to make Alkmaar an example of his cruelty, and he wrote to Philip that everyone in it should be put to the sword.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 10 John [Editor] Rudd 1885
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He has allegedly asked for clemency from the state, according to the same news report.
Global Voices in English » Vietnam arrests prominent lawyer and writer 2009
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The president believes that the pardon attorney should have an opportunity to review this case before a decision on clemency is made.
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Granting clemency is not undermining the rule of law.
Think Progress » Hume Still Pushing “Definition” Of Torture Rejected By Administration A Year Ago 2005
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But the real problem with citing thorough court review as a standard for denying clemency is that none of the 152 executions Bush approved would have landed on his desk had the cases not already passed through all the courts.
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But clemency is a political act, not a judicial one.
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Elliott, who has dual U.S. and British nationality, is hoping for clemency from the Texas Pardons and Paroles Board after an appeal to the U.S.
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But the real problem with citing thorough court review as a standard for denying clemency is that none of the 152 executions Bush approved would have landed on his desk had the cases not already passed through all the courts.
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But clemency is a political act, not a judicial one.
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Neither compassion nor "mercy," which the Supreme Court as far back as 1855 saw as central to the very idea of clemency, is acknowledged as being of any account.
luonanU commented on the word clemency
Clemency for Chelsea Manning
a former intelligence analyst, for passing secret documents to WikiLeaks.
mercy
February 4, 2017