diff --git a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ConstructorResolver.java b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ConstructorResolver.java
index a33ed6589e..cfe37ae988 100644
--- a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ConstructorResolver.java
+++ b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ConstructorResolver.java
@@ -220,7 +220,8 @@ class ConstructorResolver {
 					args = new ArgumentsHolder(explicitArgs);
 				}
 
-				int typeDiffWeight = args.getTypeDifferenceWeight(paramTypes);
+				int typeDiffWeight = (mbd.isLenientConstructorResolution() ?
+						args.getTypeDifferenceWeight(paramTypes) : args.getAssignabilityWeight(paramTypes));
 				// Choose this constructor if it represents the closest match.
 				if (typeDiffWeight < minTypeDiffWeight) {
 					constructorToUse = candidate;
@@ -436,8 +437,9 @@ class ConstructorResolver {
 						args = new ArgumentsHolder(explicitArgs);
 					}
 
-					int typeDiffWeight = args.getTypeDifferenceWeight(paramTypes);
-					// Choose this constructor if it represents the closest match.
+					int typeDiffWeight = (mbd.isLenientConstructorResolution() ?
+							args.getTypeDifferenceWeight(paramTypes) : args.getAssignabilityWeight(paramTypes));
+					// Choose this factory method if it represents the closest match.
 					if (typeDiffWeight < minTypeDiffWeight) {
 						factoryMethodToUse = candidate;
 						argsToUse = args.arguments;
@@ -744,6 +746,20 @@ class ConstructorResolver {
 			int rawTypeDiffWeight = MethodInvoker.getTypeDifferenceWeight(paramTypes, this.rawArguments) - 1024;
 			return (rawTypeDiffWeight < typeDiffWeight ? rawTypeDiffWeight : typeDiffWeight);
 		}
+
+		public int getAssignabilityWeight(Class[] paramTypes) {
+			for (int i = 0; i < paramTypes.length; i++) {
+				if (!ClassUtils.isAssignableValue(paramTypes[i], this.arguments[i])) {
+					return Integer.MAX_VALUE;
+				}
+			}
+			for (int i = 0; i < paramTypes.length; i++) {
+				if (!ClassUtils.isAssignableValue(paramTypes[i], this.rawArguments[i])) {
+					return Integer.MAX_VALUE - 512;
+				}
+			}
+			return Integer.MAX_VALUE - 1024;
+		}
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests-constructorArg.xml b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests-constructorArg.xml
index 1c05a0e6b0..af32261b91 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests-constructorArg.xml
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests-constructorArg.xml
@@ -180,6 +180,18 @@
 		<constructor-arg index="1"><value>true</value></constructor-arg>
 	</bean>
 
+	<bean id="lenientDependencyTestBean" class="org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanFactoryTests$LenientDependencyTestBean" scope="prototype">
+		<constructor-arg>
+			<bean class="org.springframework.beans.DerivedTestBean"/>
+		</constructor-arg>
+	</bean>
+
+	<bean id="lenientDependencyTestBeanFactoryMethod" class="org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanFactoryTests$LenientDependencyTestBean" scope="prototype" factory-method="create">
+		<constructor-arg>
+			<bean class="org.springframework.beans.DerivedTestBean"/>
+		</constructor-arg>
+	</bean>
+
 	<bean id="string" class="java.lang.String" autowire-candidate="false">
 		<constructor-arg><value type="java.lang.String">test</value></constructor-arg>
 	</bean>
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests.java
index 5a33d8c8e2..9f8e293bc0 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/XmlBeanFactoryTests.java
@@ -1395,6 +1395,48 @@ public final class XmlBeanFactoryTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	public @Test void testLenientDependencyMatching() {
+		XmlBeanFactory xbf = new XmlBeanFactory(CONSTRUCTOR_ARG_CONTEXT);
+		LenientDependencyTestBean bean = (LenientDependencyTestBean) xbf.getBean("lenientDependencyTestBean");
+		assertTrue(bean.tb instanceof DerivedTestBean);
+	}
+
+	public @Test void testLenientDependencyMatchingFactoryMethod() {
+		XmlBeanFactory xbf = new XmlBeanFactory(CONSTRUCTOR_ARG_CONTEXT);
+		LenientDependencyTestBean bean = (LenientDependencyTestBean) xbf.getBean("lenientDependencyTestBeanFactoryMethod");
+		assertTrue(bean.tb instanceof DerivedTestBean);
+	}
+
+	public @Test void testNonLenientDependencyMatching() {
+		XmlBeanFactory xbf = new XmlBeanFactory(CONSTRUCTOR_ARG_CONTEXT);
+		AbstractBeanDefinition bd = (AbstractBeanDefinition) xbf.getBeanDefinition("lenientDependencyTestBean");
+		bd.setLenientConstructorResolution(false);
+		try {
+			xbf.getBean("lenientDependencyTestBean");
+			fail("Should have thrown BeanCreationException");
+		}
+		catch (BeanCreationException ex) {
+			// expected
+			ex.printStackTrace();
+			assertTrue(ex.getMostSpecificCause().getMessage().contains("Ambiguous"));
+		}
+	}
+
+	public @Test void testNonLenientDependencyMatchingFactoryMethod() {
+		XmlBeanFactory xbf = new XmlBeanFactory(CONSTRUCTOR_ARG_CONTEXT);
+		AbstractBeanDefinition bd = (AbstractBeanDefinition) xbf.getBeanDefinition("lenientDependencyTestBeanFactoryMethod");
+		bd.setLenientConstructorResolution(false);
+		try {
+			xbf.getBean("lenientDependencyTestBeanFactoryMethod");
+			fail("Should have thrown BeanCreationException");
+		}
+		catch (BeanCreationException ex) {
+			// expected
+			ex.printStackTrace();
+			assertTrue(ex.getMostSpecificCause().getMessage().contains("Ambiguous"));
+		}
+	}
+
 	public @Test void testStringConstructor() {
 		XmlBeanFactory xbf = new XmlBeanFactory(CONSTRUCTOR_ARG_CONTEXT);
 		AbstractBeanDefinition bd = (AbstractBeanDefinition) xbf.getBeanDefinition("string");
@@ -1425,7 +1467,7 @@ public final class XmlBeanFactoryTests {
 			fail("Duplicate name not detected");
 		}
 		catch (BeansException ex) {
-			assertTrue(ex.getMessage().indexOf("Bean name 'foo'") > -1);
+			assertTrue(ex.getMessage().contains("Bean name 'foo'"));
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1435,7 +1477,7 @@ public final class XmlBeanFactoryTests {
 			fail("Duplicate name not detected");
 		}
 		catch (BeansException e) {
-			assertTrue(e.getMessage().indexOf("Bean name 'foo'") > -1);
+			assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("Bean name 'foo'"));
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1658,6 +1700,40 @@ public final class XmlBeanFactoryTests {
 	}
 
 
+	public static class LenientDependencyTestBean {
+
+		public final ITestBean tb;
+
+		public LenientDependencyTestBean(ITestBean tb) {
+			this.tb = tb;
+		}
+
+		public LenientDependencyTestBean(TestBean tb) {
+			this.tb = tb;
+		}
+
+		public LenientDependencyTestBean(DerivedTestBean tb) {
+			this.tb = tb;
+		}
+
+		public LenientDependencyTestBean(Map[] m) {
+			throw new IllegalStateException("Don't pick this constructor");
+		}
+
+		public static LenientDependencyTestBean create(ITestBean tb) {
+			return new LenientDependencyTestBean(tb);
+		}
+
+		public static LenientDependencyTestBean create(TestBean tb) {
+			return new LenientDependencyTestBean(tb);
+		}
+
+		public static LenientDependencyTestBean create(DerivedTestBean tb) {
+			return new LenientDependencyTestBean(tb);
+		}
+	}
+
+
 	public static class ConstructorArrayTestBean {
 
 		public final Object array;