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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President Erdoğan mastered this approach—publicly criticizing rate decisions, invoking Islamic prohibitions on interest, signaling displeasure through state media—until governors either complied or departed.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department also launched a probe into Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over their public statements criticizing the presence of ICE in the state.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Casey Higgins, however, said Price is ultimately responsible for disclosing conflicts of interest and argued blaming his subordinates was not a defense to corruption charges.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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However, your friends are blaming you for asking valid questions of someone who is mishandling funds and directly impacting your quality of life.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump made the threat via social media on Tuesday, denouncing al Maliki’s previous performance as prime minister and questioning his ideological alignment.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
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Minnesota companies had resisted publicly denouncing immigration operations in recent weeks.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fleming eventually left the agency and sued the city, accusing Lee of discriminating and retaliating against him for conducting investigations.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Jan. 2026
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After being notified of the action, Musk’s company almost immediately countersued the conservative influencer, accusing her of violating the platform’s terms of service, which state any disputes with X must be brought in Texas.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Oscar-winning singer-actress took a break during her Tokyo concert to spend a few minutes condemning ICE following the controversial deaths of two protesters at the hands of the immigration enforcement agents.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
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Local officials in Minneapolis were united in defending Omar and condemning the attacker.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impugning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugning. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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