IMPUGNED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

impugned

verb

past tense of impugn

as in criticized

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.

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Example 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 impugned The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 7 July 2026 But the Pentagon’s representatives seemed to feel impugned. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026 So the markets are the ultimate arbiter of over whether the Fed’s independence is being impugned. — NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026 The school board argued that Pickering’s statements were false and that the reputation of the district and its employees had been impugned. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impugned

Verb

Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, criticized the state's election officials for not cooperating with the department's demands.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Some Democrats have criticized national groups for not spending more in Southern states like Mississippi.

— Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticized

Verb

At least $343,100 is to be spent on surveillance after the president falsely blamed vandals for damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

— Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
Many senior Democrats blamed her, along with the rest of the family and his close aides, for hiding his condition.

— Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of blamed

Verb

Omar has denounced the investigations as a politically motivated conspiracy against her, and used it to urge supporters to donate to her reelection campaign.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has denounced violence related to immigration but has also acknowledged failures in the border control system over years that have allowed migrants to travel to and stay in South Africa without documentation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of denounced

Verb

At the time, the league said there were no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and condemned attempts to use the subject to demean or marginalize others.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
The term has since become a shorthand for antisemitic depictions of greed and has been condemned for elevating offensive stereotypes about Jewish people.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of condemned

Verb

Kagame has led the country for decades, and his government has long been accused of abuses over its treatment of political opponents, journalists and other critics.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, is accused of killing Nadine Jett and burying her remains in her Oak Creek Road property, San Diego County Dist.

— Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of accused

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Style

“Impugned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugned. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of impugned

verb

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