Roman politician, a leading member of the senatorial party that vigorously opposed Julius Caesar (Caesar, Julius).

In 61 BC Lentulus was the chief accuser of Publius Clodius (Clodius Pulcher, Publius) on a charge of sacrilege at a festival. (Clodius had entered the residence of the pontifex maximus, his political ally Julius Caesar, to visit Caesar's wife during a women's festival.) Clodius was not convicted, having paid generous bribes. Lentulus was a praetor in 58. As consul in 49 he advocated the rejection of all peace terms offered by Caesar in his conflict with the Senate. On the outbreak of the Civil War in 49, Lentulus joined Pompey's senatorial forces at Dyrrhachium with two legions he brought from the province of Asia, of which he was governor. Pompey's army was crushed at Pharsalus in 48, and Lentulus then fled to Egypt, where he was murdered.