freedom or exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm
Origin of impunity
French impunité from Classical Latin impunitas from impunis, free from punishment from in-, without + poena, punishment: see pain
noun
Impunity is defined as freedom from punishment or harm.
When you steal something and you do not go to jail or face any consequences, this is an example of when you steal with impunity.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"impunity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity>.
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impunity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity
impunity
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"impunity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity>.
APA Style
impunity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity
impunity
noun
pl. im·pu·ni·tiesExemption from punishment, penalty, or harm.
Origin of impunity
Latin impūnitās from impūne without punishment in- not ; see in- 1. poena penalty ( from Greek poinē ; see kwei-1 in Indo-European roots.)THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"impunity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity>.
APA Style
impunity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity
Noun
(countable and uncountable, plural impunities)
- (countable, law) Exemption from punishment.
- (uncountable) Freedom from punishment or retribution; security from any reprisal or injurious consequences of an action, behaviour etc.
Origin
From Middle French impunité, from Latin impunitas, from impunis (“without punishment”).
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"impunity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity>.
APA Style
impunity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Impunity
Sentence Examples
- He had impunity from the law anyway.
- Today the Internet is a lawless society; hackers can break into computers with relative impunity.
- There was impunity for crimes against humanity by former heads of state.
- Mr. Bosch is currently in Miami with total impunity.
- Two weeks later, with apparent impunity, security forces shot dead a young Brazilian electrician on his way to work.
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Also Mentioned In
Words near impunity in the dictionary
- impunity
- impunctuality
- impune
- impunibly