impunity
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/ɪmˈpjuːnəti/
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Freedom from punishment or harmful consequences, from a child escaping discipline to officials, armed groups, or institutions avoiding justice.
Examples
The inquiry asked why senior officials enjoyed impunity after the abuses.
Laws mean little when powerful people can break them with impunity.
A child may tease a sibling with impunity when nobody enforces the rules.
No company should be allowed to pollute rivers with impunity.
The officer falsified reports with impunity for years.
Similar words
license
exemption
freedom
protection
unaccountability
immunity
Meanings
Examples
The officer falsified reports with impunity for years.
Online scammers operated with impunity until investigators traced the payments.
No company should be allowed to pollute rivers with impunity.
Witnesses feared the militia would keep attacking villages with impunity.
The inquiry asked why senior officials enjoyed impunity after the abuses.
A child may tease a sibling with impunity when nobody enforces the rules.
Laws mean little when powerful people can break them with impunity.
Similar words
immunity
exemption
protection
license
freedom
unaccountability
Etymology
From French impunité and Latin impunitas, from impunis, meaning unpunished, built from in- meaning not and poena meaning punishment.
FAQ
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.
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