impunity
noun
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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
Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2025
Nobel laureate Maria Ressa told CNN Duterte’s arrest marks a major moment for the country and signals that years of impunity can be ended.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
No agency is perfect, but the loss of professional civil servants at the EPA could create an opportunity for the agency to be staffed by people installed by polluting industries in return for campaign donations—or simply staffed by so few employees that polluters can act with even greater impunity.
—Yong Kwon / Made By History, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
But the story is also about impunity, which is always a function of silence.
—Lauren Markham, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impunity
Cite this Entry
“Impunity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impunity. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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impunity
noun
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