impunity

noun im·pu·ni·ty \ im-ˈpyü-nə-tē \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: impunity in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of impunity

: exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss

laws were flouted with impunity

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Examples of impunity in a Sentence

she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity

Recent Examples of impunity from the Web

For one thing, the attack in China has led to real fear of either a wider plot by a foreign power (many say Russia) or the rise of copycats who see a way to hurt and terrorize U.S. diplomats with impunity.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Is Still Clueless About the Creepy 'Sonic' Attacks in China and Cuba," 7 June 2018
The days when tech companies could grow with absolute impunity may well be numbered.

— issie lapowsky, WIRED, "Tusks, Horns, and Claws: The Fight to Dismantle the Facebook Animal Parts Bazaar," 5 June 2018
London and its allies are understood to want the OPCW to begin apportioning blame for chemical attacks, in a move toward ending impunity for the use of poison gas and nerve agents.

— mike corder, Fox News, "Britain rallies support for strengthening chemical watchdog," 1 June 2018
As if the rampant killings of black men at the hands of police—with impunity—are a figment of our imaginations.

— monique judge, The Root, "Bill O’Reilly Blames Roseanne for Proving That White Racism Is Alive and Well in America," 31 May 2018
Press freedom advocates say the problem is impunity.

— kate linthicum, latimes.com, "Another journalist has been killed in Mexico — the sixth this year," 30 May 2018
And in this moment, in this era, that a powerful man who thrived and flourished in a culture of impunity was arrested and charged is resoundingly significant.

— julyssa lopez, Glamour, "Ashley Judd: What Harvey Weinstein's Arrest Means for #MeToo," 27 May 2018
Even after being stripped of her counseling license in 2012, Warren continued to operate her program with impunity.

— amy julia harris and shoshana walter, charlotteobserver, "Drug users got exploited. Disabled patients got hurt. One woman benefited from it all. | Charlotte Observer," 21 May 2018
Colombian guerrillas roam the countryside with impunity while chavista militias rule the barrios.

— mary anastasia o’grady, WSJ, "Venezuela’s Sham Election," 20 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impunity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

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, as in this 1660 example by Englishman Roger Coke: "This unlimited power of doing anything with impunity, will only beget a confidence in kings of doing what they list [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: "Certain beetles have learned to detoxify [willow] leaves in their digestive tract so they can eat them with impunity" (Smithsonian, September 1986).

Origin and Etymology of impunity

Middle French or Latin; Middle French impunité, from Latin impunitat-, impunitas, from impune without punishment, from in- + poena punishment — more at pain

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First Known Use: 1532

in the meaning defined above

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