presidential impunity

impunity
noun

Synonyms of impunity
: 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." The Latin word, in turn, came from Greek poin;, 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).

Synonyms
exemption
immunity
Examples of impunity in a Sentence
she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Such individuals can violate the driving laws in Maryland and be a part of accidents with impunity while ultimately taking no responsibility for their actions.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2025
In others, ballots were opened and ruling party officials voted on behalf of others with impunity.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 18 Apr. 2025
But a culture of impunity still reigns, and church authorities have barely begun to deal with other forms of spiritual and psychological abuse that have traumatized generations of faithful.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
His family’s worldwide profiteering and his own cryptocurrency ventures reflect a staggering assumption of impunity. 1933 and 2025 — a comparison America was despairing when FDR took office in March 1933.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2025

Word History
Etymology
Middle French or Latin; Middle French impunit;, 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of impunity was in 1532
See more words from the same year
Rhymes for impunity
community
disunity
immunity
autoimmunity
importunity
opportunity
munity
unity
Browse Nearby Words
impunibly
impunity
impure
Cite this Entry
Style

MLA
“Impunity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impunity. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.

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Kids Definition
impunity

noun
im·;pu·;ni·;ty im-;py;-n;t-;
: freedom from punishment, harm, or loss