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
Mohaimina Haque, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
The effect will be to empower every president to violate any right — freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, protection against unreasonable searches, equal protection — with impunity.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025
An IndyStar investigation found members of the group abused their power for years, cloaking themselves in a code of silence and operating with impunity.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Without adequate oversight, condo boards often operate with impunity, disregarding state laws and their own bylaws with little consequence.
—Steven Delco, Hartford Courant, 26 June 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 18 Jul. 2025.
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impunity
noun
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