Definition of IMPUNITY

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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, 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).

Examples of impunity in a Sentence

she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity

Recent Examples on the Web

Politicians choose to work with the violent groups in their countries, giving them impunity in exchange for bribes, campaign contributions, assistance in suppressing opposition voters and other help. — Rachel Kleinfeld, WSJ, "The Violence Driving Migration Isn’t Just Gangs," 9 Nov. 2018 For decades, a culture of misogyny has allowed men to act with impunity and without consequence. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "1,600 Men Show Their Support for Christine Blasey Ford in Full-Page New York Times Ad," 26 Sep. 2018 Under no circumstances will the next president of the republic allow corruption or impunity. — Patrick J. Mcdonnell, latimes.com, "Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wins Mexico's presidential election in a massive landslide," 2 July 2018 Victor Clark Alfaro, a Latin American studies professor at San Diego State University who has studied border crime, said killers operate with relative impunity in Tijuana, but not in the United States. — Jacob Soboroff, NBC News, "Despite Trump's fears, Tijuana's record violence rarely enters San Diego," 24 June 2018 But concerns surrounding the Chinese government's ability to operate with impunity in Hong Kong have increased in recent years, following the alleged forced abduction of a city bookseller. — Ben Westcott, CNN, "Anger in Hong Kong over Beijing's legal jurisdiction in new train station," 15 June 2018 In the run-up to Mexico’s July 1 presidential vote, corruption and impunity for wrongdoers has been a big campaign issue. — Fortune, "Welcome to Insider Trading Paradise Where No One Worries About Jail," 22 Mar. 2018 Alexander Mullowney, a police court judge in Washington, DC, urged women to protect themselves on the streets and promised them impunity in his courtroom. — Longreads, "Every Woman Her Own Bodyguard," 10 Jan. 2018 Many credit the hard-charging judge with ending a culture of impunity, but others feel the probe has focused too much on da Silva’s leftist Workers’ Party, while giving less attention to politicians on the right. — Mauricio Savarese, The Seattle Times, "Brazil judge denies cabinet post a reward for jailing Lula," 6 Nov. 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.