unpunished vs unavenged

Both 'unpunished' and 'unavenged' are correct English words, but they are used in different contexts. 'Unpunished' refers to something that has not received punishment for a wrongdoing, while 'unavenged' refers to something that has not been avenged or retaliated against. They are not interchangeable as they convey different meanings.

Last updated: March 24, 2024

unpunished

The word 'unpunished' is correct and commonly used in English to refer to something that has not received punishment for a wrongdoing.

You can use 'unpunished' to describe a situation where someone has committed a crime or wrongdoing but has not faced any consequences or punishment for it.

Examples:

The criminal went unpunished for his actions.
The offense cannot go unpunished.
She felt guilty for letting the mistake go unpunished.
The corruption remained unpunished for years.
Leaving such behavior unpunished sets a dangerous precedent.

Show examples from the web [+]

I can't imagine your frustration, knowing he's out there, unpunished.
His killer remained unpunished, that's the nonsense!
This makes it possible for genocide to continue unpunished, and for a government which bears responsibility for this ongoing massacre simply not to take us seriously.
Because it is a principle that can all too easily lead to false information being given or to serious crimes going unpunished, we oppose introducing the option of reduced penalties for anonymous cooperation in the work of detection.
If he gets the chance to pursue his dictatorial policy unpunished, the Kosovo question will also assume the same proportions.
The Erika disaster is testimony to this unfortunate state of affairs, as are the thirty-nine instances of degassing which went unpunished in the space of a single week!
Just as clear is the ineffectiveness of the efforts to combat this type of crime, which goes largely unpunished.
A false witness shall not be unpunished,
These women... their families for the rest of their lives are going to think that killer is out there somewhere, unpunished.
You will not escape unpunished for this, but I do not just speak to how you may mitigate that.
And mutilates and goes you into unpunished!
The lack of an effective security force in this country has meant that various kinds of homicide go virtually unpunished.
The world has been watching from the sidelines for far too long, while the dictator Mugabe has gone about his business unpunished, becoming more insolent in the process.
Would you rather punish the wrong man... than see the crime itself got unsolved and unpunished?
Do the facts set out above not constitute an unpunished and increasingly serious contravention of Article 1 of the cooperation agreements which the Commission has concluded with Cambodia and Vietnam? -
How does the Council feel about the cases of fraud involving national and international banks in those countries remaining unpunished?
What I mean is that if a photo-journalist is assassinated and the murder of a defender of human rights remains unpunished, I am convinced, Mr Commissioner, that you have in your hands the power to put pressure on the Argentine government.
Many organisations have voiced their condemnation of the part played by Mr López's kidnappers in the oppressive machinery of the last dictatorship, which remains both unpunished and intact and is responsible for an appalling 30000 disappearances.
The regime in Kigali is presenting refugees with a terrible account which shows forced expulsion, hunger, thirst and cholera on the one side and the abomination of the unpunished 1994 genocide on the other side.
I promise they will not escape unpunished.

Alternatives:

unpenalized
unreprimanded
unscathed
unscolded
unrebuked

unavenged

The word 'unavenged' is correct but less commonly used in English. It refers to something that has not been avenged or retaliated against.

You can use 'unavenged' to describe a situation where a wrong or harm has not been avenged or retaliated against, often implying a desire for revenge or justice.