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
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2025
These stop work orders have left the groups — especially those working on issues in Tibet and Hong Kong, as well as among Uyghur minorities— without financial support and vulnerable to Beijing targeting them with impunity.
—Joshua Goodman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
The international community must step up quickly to bring an end to the junta's impunity.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Government officials worry Biden’s record of empty threats have given the Israelis a sense of impunity.
—Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 15 Jan. 2025
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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 18 Feb. 2025.
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impunity
noun
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