Use impunity when the point is not just that harm happened, but that the person or group responsible avoided punishment or accountability.
Use impunity when the point is not just that harm happened, but that the person or group responsible avoided punishment or accountability.
Acted impunity is missing with, while immunity is the better word for a legal protection granted in advance.
From French impunité and Latin impunitas, from impunis, meaning unpunished, built from in- meaning not and poena meaning punishment.
What does impunity mean?
Impunity means freedom from punishment or from the harmful consequences that should follow an action.
How is impunity usually used?
It most often appears in with impunity, as in someone acting wrongly without being punished.
Is impunity different from immunity?
Yes. Immunity is protection from a rule or legal process, while impunity is the state of escaping punishment.
Can impunity be used outside legal contexts?
Yes. It can describe any situation where someone breaks a rule or causes harm and faces no consequence.
Where does impunity come from?
It comes through French impunité from Latin impunitas, connected with poena, meaning punishment.
What is a common synonym for impunity?
Immunity, exemption, and protection can be close in some contexts, but impunity focuses on avoiding punishment.