impunity

noun

im·​pu·​ni·​ty im-ˈpyü-nə-tē How to pronounce impunity (audio)
: exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss
laws were flouted with impunity

Did you know?

Impunity (like the words pain, penal, and punish) traces to the Latin noun poena, meaning "punishment." The Latin word, in turn, came from Greek poinē, meaning "payment" or "penalty." People acting with impunity have prompted use of the word since the 1500s. An illustrative example from 1660 penned by Englishman Roger Coke reads: "This unlimited power of doing anything with impunity, will only beget a confidence in kings of doing what they [desire]." While royals may act with impunity more easily than others, the word impunity can be applied to the lowliest of beings as well as the loftiest: "The local hollies seem to have lots of berries this year.… A single one won't harm you, but eating a handful would surely make you pretty sick, and might kill you. Birds such as robins, mockingbirds, and cedar waxwings eat them with impunity." (Karl Anderson, The Gloucester County Times, 22 Dec. 2002).

Examples of impunity in a Sentence

she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity
Recent Examples on the Web Port-au-Prince and parts of the countryside are controlled by armed gangs who rape, kidnap and kill with impunity. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 These rebel groups violently occupy parts of Congo, killing people with impunity. Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 Victims of ransomware paid their attackers more than $1 billion last year, a new report has found, a record high that shows that many cybercriminals are raking in money by extorting people and institutions with near impunity. Kevin Collier, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2024 India and Turkey ride roughshod over the rule of law daily with impunity. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Protecting the president from the hassles of civil litigation is one thing; permitting the president, charged in Article 2 of the Constitution with faithful execution of the laws, to be able to break those same laws with impunity is quite another. Claire Wofford, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2024 Settler evictions of Palestinians from West Bank villages have surged since early October, generally with impunity. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024 All are backing New York’s Fashion Workers Act, which would close a legal loophole that allows modeling agencies to act with impunity. Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 9 Feb. 2024 Asked at that hearing whether Trump’s view of presidential impunity could allow for the assassination of a political rival, defense attorney D. John Sauer did not disagree. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impunity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French impunité, from Latin impunitat-, impunitas, from impune without punishment, from in- + poena punishment — more at pain entry 1

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of impunity was in 1532

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Cite this Entry

“Impunity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impunity. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

impunity

noun
im·​pu·​ni·​ty im-ˈpyü-nət-ē How to pronounce impunity (audio)
: freedom from punishment, harm, or loss

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