impunity
noun
Did you know?
Impunity, like the words pain, penal, and punish, traces to the Latin noun poena, meaning "punishment." Poena, in turn, came from the Greek poinē, meaning "payment" or "penalty." Impunity has been around since the 1500s; in 1660, Englishman Roger Coke wrote "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 beings great and small. Take, for example, this 2023 quote from the Sidmouth Herald in England: "The [yew tree] fruits are readily eaten by birds but they do not digest the seeds as they are poisonous. Only one bird, the rare and shy Hawfinch, is able to eat the seeds with impunity."
Examples of impunity in a Sentence
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
Yunus is recognized for his advocacy against impunity in Indonesia, and his work on security sector reform and civil liberties.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
Without these and other law enforcement tools, gangs and other criminals could move with impunity.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
Because Jackson refused to use executive power to enforce the Court’s protections, Cherokee sovereignty was violated with impunity, ultimately paving the way for the brutal, infamous Trail of Tears.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for impunity
Cite this Entry
“Impunity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impunity. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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impunity
noun
