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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His Instagram reels often show him criticizing the LGBTQ+ community.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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Senator Lisa Murkowski, that Republican of Alaska, who's one of the more notable folks up here on the Hill on the GOP side about criticizing the war in Iran, has floated in conversations with reporters in the hallway here the possibility of drawing up an AUMF and putting it up for a vote.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Verb
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But Emirati officials had threatened for years to leave, blaming Opec’s production quotas for unfairly curtailing its oil exports.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
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In 2013, Hall tried (and failed) to replicate the previous magic and his show was cancelled after one season, many blaming tougher competition than before.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After the vote, Commissioner Zach Lindstrom thanked At Chandee's supporters for sharing his story while denouncing the current presidential administration for locking him up.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
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In response to The Star’s inquiry, Sarnecki provided a statement denouncing 7-OH and kratom.—
Matthew Kelly
May 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Musk is accusing ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, and its leaders — CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman — of misleading him and abandoning the company’s original nonprofit mission.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
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Citizens for Positive Growth & Preservation since 2015 has filed three lawsuits against the city accusing Sacramento officials of violating CEQA.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Sarnecki and Masterson campaigns both provided statements to The Star condemning 7-OH and kratom as dangerous and praising lawmakers for taking action to criminalize the substances.—
Matthew Kelly
May 1,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
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On Wednesday, Congressmen Josh Gottheimer and Mike Lawler introduced a bipartisan House resolution condemning the antisemitic rhetoric of Hasan Piker on the far left and Candace Owens on the far right.—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impugning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugning. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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