unpunished
adjective
un·pun·ished
ˌən-ˈpə-nisht 
: not punished
an unpunished criminal/crime
an offense that should not be allowed to go unpunished
Examples of unpunished in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Images: Reuters/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly No act of public service goes unpunished.
—
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2023
And make no mistake: There is shame here, in the form of police negligence that remains largely unpunished, beyond the disciplining of some low-level functionaries.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2023
This results in lax policing across the U.S., where theft has gone unpunished for too long and criminals take advantage of lax prosecution at the expense of law-abiding business owners.
—WSJ, 24 Oct. 2023
All that said, Dirk Hamer’s murder remains unpunished.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 7 July 2023
But what is obvious, many analysts say, is that Putin is trying to show —after Prigozhin and his troops launched a brief rebellion — that no challenge to his rule will go unpunished.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 25 Aug. 2023
Despite the sharp rise, many retailers don’t believe the police are taking enough action, with repeat offenders going unpunished and thieves getting more sophisticated in their ways.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2023
Against a team as stout as Covington Catholic, these types of errors will rarely go unpunished.
—Evan Merrill, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2023
The coup obviously failed but Jones still sits as the league's most powerful influence, unchallenged, and basically unpunished for attacking Goodell.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 16 July 2023
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The Editorial Board, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2023
And make no mistake: There is shame here, in the form of police negligence that remains largely unpunished, beyond the disciplining of some low-level functionaries.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2023
This results in lax policing across the U.S., where theft has gone unpunished for too long and criminals take advantage of lax prosecution at the expense of law-abiding business owners.
—WSJ, 24 Oct. 2023
All that said, Dirk Hamer’s murder remains unpunished.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 7 July 2023
But what is obvious, many analysts say, is that Putin is trying to show —after Prigozhin and his troops launched a brief rebellion — that no challenge to his rule will go unpunished.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 25 Aug. 2023
Despite the sharp rise, many retailers don’t believe the police are taking enough action, with repeat offenders going unpunished and thieves getting more sophisticated in their ways.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2023
Against a team as stout as Covington Catholic, these types of errors will rarely go unpunished.
—Evan Merrill, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2023
The coup obviously failed but Jones still sits as the league's most powerful influence, unchallenged, and basically unpunished for attacking Goodell.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 16 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unpunished.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of unpunished was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near unpunished
Cite this Entry
“Unpunished.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpunished. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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