impunity

noun

im·​pu·​ni·​ty im-ˈpyü-nə-tē 

: exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss

laws were flouted with impunity

Did you know?

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."

Synonyms of impunity

• immunity
• protection
• exemption

Examples of impunity in a Sentence

she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity

Recent Examples on the Web

An international mission in March documented escalating police violence, smear campaigns fueled by public officials, persistent impunity, legal and digital threats and the ruling party's efforts to tighten its grip over the media, CPJ said. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

An international mission in March documented escalating police violence, smear campaigns fueled by public officials, persistent impunity, legal and digital threats and the ruling party’s efforts to tighten its grip over the media, CPJ said. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

The king called on world powers to move beyond statements and use available diplomatic tools to enforce international law, saying the international community’s failure to act had fueled a growing sense of impunity. — Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

One possible hypothesis comes in the prologue, set on June 9, 1956, turning on Police Commissioner Folcada, which suggests the terrible impunity of power. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French impunité, from Latin impunitat-, impunitas, from impune without punishment, from in- + poena punishment — more at pain entry 1

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for impunity

• community
• disunity
• immunity
• autoimmunity
• importunity
• opportunity
• munity
• unity

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Kids Definition

impunity

noun

im·​pu·​ni·​ty im-ˈpyü-nət-ē 

: freedom from punishment, harm, or loss