IMPUGNED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

impugned

verb

past tense of impugn

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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of impugned The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 7 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impugned

Verb

The article also cites Pan Jinyu, a Chinese-speaking tour guide in London, who criticized the lack of coverage by UK media.

— News Desk, Artforum, 13 Oct. 2026
Others criticized how quickly the store went into defensive mode.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticized

Verb

The city's medical examiner, Charles Norris, blamed the federal government's practice of adding toxic substances to industrial alcohol, including those involving methyl alcohol, also known as methanol, which can cause blindness and death.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Other adolescents have also suffered life-changing injuries blamed on police weaponry during protests.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of blamed

Verb

Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray said in a statement the paper was relieved that Levine received medical care and is safe, but denounced the violence against her.

— Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Press freedom groups and opposition parties, however, denounced the move against Halk TV, calling it yet another step by the government to silence opposition voices.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of denounced

Verb

The Republican billionaire accused of fueling an infestation of rats in Chicago.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
In more recent times, moreover, the first steps taken by the Third Reich toward the Holocaust began with the economic boycott of the Jews, who were accused of harming the businesses and positions of their Aryan counterparts.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of accused

Browse Nearby Words

impugn

impugned

impugning

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Impugned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impugned. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of impugned

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes