Synonym Usage
Exemption, immunity, impunity imply special privilege or freedom from imposed requirements. Exemption implies release or privileged freedom from some duty, tax, etc.: exemption from military service. Immunity implies freedom from a penalty or from some liability, especially one that is disagreeable or threatening: immunity from disease. Impunity (limited mainly to the fixed expression with impunity ) primarily suggests freedom from punishment: The police force was so inadequate that crimes could be committed with impunity.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of exemption
First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin exemptiōn- (stem of exemptiō ) “removal.” See exempt, -ion
Explanation
When you get an exemption, you don't have to do something. In the sixties, some people got exemptions from military service during the Vietnam War. We don't often think of being left out as a good thing, but when you use the word exemption, you mean that someone has been excluded in a positive way. Children are exemptions, or deductions, on tax forms; the more children you have the less taxes you pay. Some non-profits are tax-exempt; their exemption means they pay no taxes at all. Exemptions also spare people from fighting in wars and doing some jobs. An exemption gets you off the hook.
Vocabulary lists containing exemption
Tax Day Words
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Speak
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In January, Beijing halved a tax exemption for plug-in vehicles and reduced subsidies when people trade in an old vehicle for an electric vehicle, hitting EV sales.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
The legislation would ban social media accounts for children under 16 years old, the statement said, adding that there be an exemption "pathway" for companies if they can demonstrate "sufficient safeguards" for children.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
An exemption policy will be developed for pupils who need access to their phones during the day for health or other reasons.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The mayor recently delighted Knicks fans after jokingly giving New York City kids a “no bedtime” exemption so they could stay up and watch the games.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
“The magistrate told us that exemption didn’t apply to us.”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
