as in criticized
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 impugned
But the Pentagon’s representatives seemed to feel impugned.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
So the markets are the ultimate arbiter of over whether the Fed’s independence is being impugned.
—NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
The school board argued that Pickering’s statements were false and that the reputation of the district and its employees had been impugned.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
So the markets are the ultimate arbiter of over whether the Fed’s independence is being impugned.
—NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
The school board argued that Pickering’s statements were false and that the reputation of the district and its employees had been impugned.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impugned
Verb
-
Though the value can be criticized, Love is immediately going to make Arizona’s offense exponentially better.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
After the hearing, John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, the union that represents Chicago police officers, harshly criticized the SAFE-T Act and the county’s criminal courts judges who repeatedly released Talley from custody in his prior crimes of violence.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Gatkhor Dual, an opposition official coordinating aid in Jonglei state, blamed county commissioner James Bol Makuei for blocking humanitarian access.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In a statement, a spokesperson for Angels In The Asylum blamed the closure on the film being unable to resolve financing issues with John Cairns and his company, Parkland Pictures.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The cult of Santa Muerte could, of course, be said to be in the thrall of that fantasy, but the same could be said of the cult’s main antagonist, the Catholic Church, which has vociferously denounced the movement.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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In a nation that has long prided itself on a free and vibrant news media, rights watchdogs and lawmakers from across the political spectrum denounced the move as an attack on the press without precedent since the end of Argentina’s military dictatorship in 1983.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Putin and Netanyahu were condemned for their nations’ invasions of Ukraine and Gaza, respectively.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
El Gamal, who divorced Soliman after his arrest, has condemned the Boulder attack and said the family had no knowledge of any plans for it.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The only constant across different time periods and milieus is that no one has wanted to be accused of it.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Israel accused hundreds of UNRWA employees in Gaza of working with terrorist groups and banned the organization from operating in Israel in 2024, effectively blocking its foreign staff and aid from entering the enclave.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But then federal prosecutors appealed a judge's decision granting him bond with electronic monitoring, and the judge agreed Friday to put it on hold while that appeal plays out.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Gilbert appealed Wilson’s ruling; however, in December 2024, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel turned down Gilbert’s appeal, per Courthouse News Service.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impugned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugned. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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