impunidad

impunity

noun eem-poo-nee-DAHD Rare

Origin: Latin impunitas, from im- (not) + poena (punishment)

Usage Note

Impunidad denotes the state of escaping punishment for wrongdoing and is a key term in law, journalism, and human-rights discourse. It almost always appears with con in the phrase actuar con impunidad ('to act with impunity'). There is no adjective impunífico; instead Spanish uses impune (quedar impune, 'to go unpunished').

Examples

"Los criminales actuaron con total impunidad."

Natural Translation

The criminals acted with total impunity.

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