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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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
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impugning
Verb
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Rory McIlroy was similarly vocal, criticizing the league, Saudi Arabian money, the players, and CEO Norman.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor took a swipe at fellow Justice Brett Kavanaugh at an event on April 7, criticizing her bench-mate for his recent opinion in an immigration case.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That year, the family of a patient who died filed a lawsuit blaming him for failing to diagnose her lung cancer.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
9 Apr. 2026
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There are ways of pointing this out without explicitly blaming her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Also, don’t discount Republican efforts to suppress the vote by denouncing or restricting voting by mail.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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That year’s Republican National Convention filled its programming with second-raters (Scott Baio gave a prime-time speech), while Ted Cruz and other speakers refused to endorse Trump onstage; National Review famously published a special issue denouncing him.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota House on Tuesday filed dueling ethics complaints against members of the opposite party, accusing them of breaking the chamber's rules for conduct.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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The Netherlands and Canada have brought a separate case against Syria at the United Nations’ top court, accusing Damascus of a yearslong campaign of torturing its own citizens.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So far, Senate Republicans have shown less enthusiasm for condemning Daines’ machinations.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The resolutions seek to put Congress on record condemning the conflict and tie the president’s hands from launching further strikes.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impugning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugning. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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