impunity
noun
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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. An illustrative example from 1660 penned by Englishman Roger Coke reads: "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 the lowliest of beings as well as the loftiest: "The local hollies seem to have lots of berries this year.… A single one won't harm you, but eating a handful would surely make you pretty sick, and might kill you. Birds such as robins, mockingbirds, and cedar waxwings eat them with impunity." (Karl Anderson, The Gloucester County Times, 22 Dec. 2002).
Examples of impunity in a Sentence
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Israel has shown – flaunted even – the Mossad’s ability to operate with near impunity in Iran in the past.
—Leila Gharagrozlou, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
Even before the airstrikes, Israel had demonstrated its ability to operate with near impunity in Iran over the past year, targeting senior figures for assassination and bombing important air defense systems without losing aircraft.
—Dan De Luce, NBC news, 13 June 2025
This is not the way a democracy should work — in which those working to forward the president’s agenda can act with impunity, but everyone else needs follow the rules.
—Edwin C. Yohnka, Chicago Tribune, 13 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 Jun. 2025.
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impunity
noun
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