impunito

unpunished

adjective eem-poo-NEE-toh Rare

Origin: From Latin impunitus, from in- (not) + punire (to punish).

Usage Note

Impunito describes a wrongdoer who has escaped punishment — un crimine impunito is an unpunished crime. The phrase andare impunito (to go unpunished) is very common. The related noun impunità (impunity) is equally frequent in legal and journalistic contexts. It is stronger and more specific than libero (free).

Examples

"Il colpevole è andato impunito per anni."

Natural Translation

The guilty person went unpunished for years.

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