impunity
noun
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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
Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Russian attacks continue to maim and kill women, children, and the elderly with frequency and impunity.
—Richard Branson, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Fans can, and do, criticize Roberts’ pitching decisions with impunity, but there are no future Hall of Famers walking through that bullpen gate.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
However, these responses did not follow, enabling the Taliban to continue and do so with impunity.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 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 30 Sep. 2025.
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impunity
noun
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