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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impugn
Rather, it is being used to impugn Baldoni's character and demonstrate malicious intent on his part.
—
Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The issue here is not to impugn the individual Catholics who are decent people and who contribute to a more just society.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025
Targets often accuse short sellers of impugning their reputation for financial gain.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
For example, opposition forces, led by Lee, have ruthlessly attacked the first lady, stirring mass protests and impugning her character.
—Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impugn
Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The issue here is not to impugn the individual Catholics who are decent people and who contribute to a more just society.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025
Targets often accuse short sellers of impugning their reputation for financial gain.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
For example, opposition forces, led by Lee, have ruthlessly attacked the first lady, stirring mass protests and impugning her character.
—Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impugn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impugn
Verb
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Trump amps up his attacks on CEOs and other executives Trump has long used social media and his other public statements to cajole, criticize and praise companies and individual CEOs.—
Maria Aspan,
NPR,
14 Aug. 2025
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Some social media users have criticized the department’s reverence for the 1940s, noting the period predated the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed segregation, as well as other landmark legislation and Supreme Court decisions that were key to the civil rights era.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Some residents blamed the city, which has owned these buildings for years, for allowing the structures to get run-down.—
Victoria Moorwood,
The Enquirer,
9 Aug. 2025
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At one point, her crankiness about being underappreciated for her domestic efforts is blamed, without irony, on her period.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Attorney Lauren Cerri of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, representing the plaintiff, condemned school administration for ignoring prior complaints made by yard duty supervisors years earlier that Wilson was spending time in his classroom alone with female students during lunch recesses.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Both Israel and the US have condemned moves to recognize a Palestinian state.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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While that case is still pending, Gables filed a federal lawsuit earlier this week accusing Rhymes of assault and other workplace abuses.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
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Absent at Fancy Farm was Sen. Rand Paul, who McConnell accused of not supporting Kentucky farmers during an Aug. 1 speech on the Senate floor.—
Bailey Loosemore,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impugn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugn. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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