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
Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
The film is based on the true story of 1970s serial killer Rodney Alcala, a photographer who spent years assaulting young girls, boys, and women, with impunity.
—Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2024
Empowered by his own hubris, Trump builds and borrows and bangs with impunity, and a freewheeling sense of gleeful combativeness.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Oct. 2024
Empowered by his own hubris, Trump builds and borrows and beds with impunity — all with a freewheeling sense of gleeful combativeness.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near impunity
Cite this Entry
“Impunity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impunity. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
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impunity
noun
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