as in to criticize
formal
to criticize (a person's character, intentions, etc.) by suggesting that someone is not honest and should not be trusted
He impugned his rival's character. Her motives have been scrutinized and impugned.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impugn
My patriotism and that of people in other border communities cannot be impugned.
—
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2024
Toward the end of the hearing, Morrissey became heated in responding to the defense arguments, alleging that Spiro had impugned her conduct to the court.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 May 2024
She was later called out for impugning her Democratic colleagues and had to rephrase her criticism.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Follow Election 2024 Democrats charged that the age and memory details in Hur’s report served only to impugn the reputation of a man prosecutors ultimately decided not to charge.
—Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for impugn 
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2024
Toward the end of the hearing, Morrissey became heated in responding to the defense arguments, alleging that Spiro had impugned her conduct to the court.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 May 2024
She was later called out for impugning her Democratic colleagues and had to rephrase her criticism.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Follow Election 2024 Democrats charged that the age and memory details in Hur’s report served only to impugn the reputation of a man prosecutors ultimately decided not to charge.
—Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for impugn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impugn
Verb
-
Bo French, the chairman of the Tarrant County, Texas, GOP, criticized Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, alleging that an emphasis on DEI programs had undermined the military's effectiveness.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
-
Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit the following year, arguing that DeSantis and state Republicans had waged a concerted campaign to punish Disney for exercising its speech rights to criticize Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Kennedy has a long history of blaming vaccines for autism.Catherine Tan, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
-
The regime blamed the economic collapse on sanctions, the price Syria had to pay for standing up to foreign powers.Loubna Mrie, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, the Gulf country's foreign ministry said in a statement.Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
-
Last weekend’s derby defeat by Manchester United brought another wave of adverse publicity for Walker, widely condemned for throwing himself to the ground in what looked like an attempt to get Rasmus Hojlund sent off.Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
House Republicans have accused CISA of spying on and censoring Americans, and the GOP senator who will soon oversee the agency wants to eliminate it.Eric Geller, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
-
He's accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 as the CEO headed to an investors conference.Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near impugn
Cite this Entry
“Impugn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugn. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share