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impugning

verb

present participle of impugn
as in criticizing
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 impugning Ehlers’ duty as a public official includes upholding and respecting the legal process, not impugning it. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impugning
  1. criticizing
  2. blaming
  3. denouncing
  4. accusing
  5. condemning
Verb
  • As public support for Clancy grew by the day, online sleuths went to work challenging the prosecution’s narrative, closely scrutinizing witnesses and criticizing authorities for not investigating certain details more aggressively.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Some fans viewed the collaboration cynically, criticizing it as a way for Beyoncé to capitalize on Selena’s legacy, or to court more Latino fans.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of criticizing
Verb
  • Unable to picture evil as anything other than devilish, critics accused Arendt of excusing the perpetrators and blaming the victims.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Both Republicans unloaded on Cooper's tenure as governor, with Trump blaming Cooper for a grisly North Carolina murder and accusing him of doing nothing to help the state after Hurricane Helene inflicted widespread damage in 2024.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • El-Sayed's campaign sent a reporter a question asking if Rogers, given his comments about denouncing terrorists, planned to publicly denounce the remark.
    — Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • There’s the Luddite Club, which last fall used a seventy-year-old typewriter to make a poster denouncing the school’s decision to offer students ChatGPT and Google Gemini subscriptions.
    — Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of denouncing
Verb
  • Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has filed a civil rights lawsuit accusing Columbia University of ignoring harassment of pro-Palestinian students and enabling online doxing that preceded his 2025 immigration detention.
    — Sudhin Thanawala, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of accusing
Verb
  • The commissioner formally apologized to players in 2024 for not sufficiently condemning, during an appearance on CNBC, hate speech around the league.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly 1,000 entertainment figures signed a letter condemning Ruffalo’s remarks, while more than 180 Jewish artists, writers and academics, including Joel Coen, Tony Kushner, Hannah Einbinder and Todd Haynes, signed a separate letter defending him.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of condemning

Browse Nearby Words

impugned
impugning
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Cite this Entry

“Impugning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugning. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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