Indemnity
noun /ɪnˈdɛm.nɪ.ti/ — Security or protection against financial loss; compensation for damage
Definition
Protection or security against financial loss, legal liability, or harmful consequences — or compensation paid to someone who has suffered loss or damage. Indemnity is the transfer of risk: if this goes wrong, someone else carries the cost.
Beyond the definition
Indemnity is risk made contractual — the formal agreement about who bears the cost of things going wrong. In the most human sense, it's the word for being made whole after something has broken.
Origin & history
Latin: indemnis (uninjured, undamaged). From in- (not) + damnum (damage, loss). Indemnity keeps the person 'uninjured' from financial harm by ensuring compensation exists.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The contract included a full indemnity clause protecting the company from third-party claims.
She sought indemnity for the losses caused by the contractor's negligence.
Indemnity is the promise that if it breaks, someone will pay to fix it.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Indemnity” when the meaning fits your context: Protection or security against financial loss, legal liability, or harmful consequences — or compensation paid to someone who has suffered loss or damage. Indemnity is the transfer of risk: if this goes wrong, someone else carries the cost.
Synonyms
compensation, protection from loss, security, reimbursement
Antonyms
liability, exposure, unprotected loss
Related words
Indemnity vs insurance
Indemnity is a contractual obligation to compensate for loss. Insurance is a specific financial product used to provide that indemnification against specified risks.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Formal Document in Courtroom
An adult stands in a vast, silent, wood-paneled courtroom, holding a single, official document.
The document likely details a protection against liability. Indemnity functions as this transfer of risk, where the burden of potential loss or damage is moved to another party, ensuring security against future legal or financial consequences.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Indemnity" mean?
Indemnity is noun meaning: Security or protection against financial loss; compensation for damage. Protection or security against financial loss, legal liability, or harmful consequences — or compensation paid to someone who has suffered loss or damage. Indemnity is the transfer of risk: if this goes wrong, someone else carries the cost.
Where does the word "Indemnity" come from?
Latin: indemnis (uninjured, undamaged). From in- (not) + damnum (damage, loss). Indemnity keeps the person 'uninjured' from financial harm by ensuring compensation exists.