impunity

noun

im·​pu·​ni·​ty im-ˈpyü-nə-tē 

: 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).

Synonyms

• exemption
• immunity

Examples of impunity in a Sentence

she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity

Recent Examples on the Web

Violence and the number of women murdered with impunity continue to dominate the news – as well as perceptions of the country. —Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2024

Unlike other northern Mexican border towns, where groups like the Sinaloa and Noreste cartels kidnapped and killed migrants with impunity, Piedras Negras offered a relatively safer crossing, Isacson said. —Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 22 May 2024

Image The impunity and criminality that Raziq fostered metastasized after his death, eating away at Kandahar from within. —Matthieu Aikins Bryan Denton, New York Times, 22 May 2024

The impunity is even more worrisome for performers who aren’t already popular. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 21 May 2024

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

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Kids Definition

impunity

noun

im·​pu·​ni·​ty im-ˈpyü-nət-ē 

: freedom from punishment, harm, or loss