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Meaning & use

impunity

noun·Advancedformal

Last updated

UK/ɪmˈpjuːnəti/
US/ɪmˈpjuːnəti/

Meanings

  1. noununcountableformal

    Freedom from any punishment or bad consequence for something wrong that you have done.

    Grammar: Never takes a plural or an article; mostly used in the phrase with impunity.

    Patterns

    • with impunity
    • impunity for something

    The gang broke the rules with impunity because nobody dared to report them.

    Critics say the culture of impunity in the company allowed the fraud to continue.

    No one can pollute the river with impunity any longer.

  2. noununcountableformal

    A situation in which wrongdoers, especially powerful ones, are not held to account by the law.

    Grammar: Often follows culture of or end to: the culture of impunity.

    Patterns

    • a culture of impunity
    • end impunity for something

    Human rights groups campaigned to end impunity for those who ordered the attacks.

    Impunity grows when courts refuse to hear cases against officials.

    The new law is meant to combat impunity among corrupt officers.

Common combinations

with impunity
Drivers parked on the pavement with impunity.
culture of impunity
A culture of impunity let the abuse go unchecked.
act with impunity
The hackers acted with impunity for months.
end impunity
The prosecutor promised to end impunity for war crimes.
enjoy impunity
Some officials seem to enjoy impunity whatever they do.

Synonyms and how they differ

immunity
Immunity is a formal legal protection given to someone, whereas impunity describes the fact of going unpunished, often unfairly.
exemption
Exemption means being excused from a duty or rule, and does not suggest wrongdoing the way impunity does.
freedom
Freedom is far broader and usually positive, while impunity is narrowly about escaping punishment and often criticized.

Opposites

accountabilitypunishment

Word family

punish verb
to make someone suffer for wrongdoing
punishment noun
a penalty given for an offence
punitive adjective
intended as punishment
unpunished adjective
not receiving any punishment

Commonly confused: impunity or immunity?

impunity vs immunity

Immunity is protection from disease or prosecution, often a legal right, whereas impunity is going unpunished in practice.

Practice

The factory dumped waste into the river ___ for years because inspectors never visited.

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