impugn

verb

im·​pugn im-ˈpyün 

impugned; impugning; impugns

transitive verb

1

: to assail by words or arguments : oppose or attack as false or lacking integrity

impugned the defendant's character

2

obsolete

a

: assail

b

: resist

impugnable

im-ˈpyü-nə-bəl 

adjective

impugner

im-ˈpyü-nər 

noun

Did you know?

Impugn, pugnacious, pugilist: them’s fightin’ words, literally. All three words trace back to the Latin noun pugnus, meaning “fist.” Though they floated like butterflies down different paths into English from that shared source, each stings like a bee (so to speak) in its own way. The noun pugilist refers to a fighter or boxer, while the adjective pugnacious describes someone showing a readiness or desire to fight or argue. The verb impugn today has belligerent implications, albeit of the verbal jousting kind, but in its earliest known English uses in the 1300s, impugn could refer to a physical attack (as in, “the troops impugned the city”) as well as to assaults involving verbal contradiction or dispute. Over time, though, the sense of literal battling has become obsolete while the “assailing by words or arguments” sense has endured.

Examples of impugn in a Sentence

He impugned his rival's character.

Her motives have been scrutinized and impugned.

Recent Examples on the Web

The positions were clear with every track: Drake was contending with the envy of his peers for his reign on top of the charts despite years of supporting them as collaborators and impugning Kendrick’s credibility as an arbiter of cultural purity and Black pride. —Shamira Ibrahim, refinery29.com, 9 May 2024

The case would pit Jones and her far-right supporters against the president and his formidable legal and political teams; Clinton allies would use a volley of innuendo to try to impugn Jones’s reputation and undermine her charges. —David Friend, Washington Post, 27 June 2024

This isn’t an attempt to ban speech, or impugn anyone’s First Amendment rights. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024

My patriotism and that of people in other border communities cannot be impugned. —Jonathan Dekel-Chen, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French empugner, from Latin inpugnare, from in- + pugnare to fight — more at pungent

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

impugn

verb

im·​pugn im-ˈpyün 

: to attack as false or not to be trusted

impugn the honesty of an opponent