impugn
Americanverb (used with object)
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impugns,
present (3rd person singular)
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impugned,
past participle, past
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impugning
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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impugnabilitynoun
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impugnationnoun
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impugnernoun
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impugnmentnoun
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impugnableadjective
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unimpugnableadjective
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unimpugnedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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impugnsimple
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impugnssimple
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have impugnedperfect
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has impugnedperfect
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am impugningprogressive
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are impugningprogressive
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is impugningprogressive
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have been impugningperfect progressive
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has been impugningperfect progressive
Past
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impugnedsimple
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had impugnedperfect
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was impugningprogressive
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were impugningprogressive
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had been impugningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impugn
1325–75; Middle English impugnen < Middle French impugner < Latin impugnāre to attack, equivalent to im- im- 1 + pugnāre to fight, derivative of pugnus fist; see pugnacious
Explanation
To impugn means to call into question or attack as wrong. If your usually grumpy brother is suddenly nice and sweet, you'll impugn his motives if you're smart — he probably just wants something from you. The root of impugn is the Latin pugnare which means "to fight," so when you impugn, you are fighting or attacking, but by saying that something is false or wrong. If a candidate has a record that cannot be impugned, his or her opponent might go for a character attack. If you take pride in your work, you will be especially insulted if someone impugns your professionalism or integrity.
Vocabulary lists containing impugn
Hidden Figures
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First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
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The Merchant of Venice
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Philippe Claudel, president of the Académie Goncourt, said that the evidence gathered thus far wasn’t enough to impugn Orélien’s book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"These are grave assertions that directly impugn the claimants' personal integrity, character, and professional reputation", Lim said, adding that this was a factor in the awarding of the damages.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
In the latter, he said he did not impugn the jurors — who were not present — but was advising the just-acquitted defendant to stay out of trouble.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Not to impugn the integrity of anyone’s former travel agent, but that agent was probably less concerned than Google Flights with showing you the lowest possible price to get where you were heading.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2025
There is no reason to impugn either the judgment or veracity of this missionary.
From The Aboriginal Population of the San Joaquin Valley, California by Sherburne F. Cook
The rules of evidence are supposed to prohibit the presentation of “character evidence” — information that simply impugns a defendant or reveals past wrongs — to avoid biasing jurors.
From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2022
We’ve learned a lot about women’s rights and the suffrage movement, and do we hear men saying that it shouldn’t be taught because it impugns men?
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
“For people to say we’re somehow manipulating the system — I do take offense, because that impugns my integrity as a system operator.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2020
He also said it “tacitly impugns the integrity” of judges to suggest that they could not meet performance standards.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2018
The same organ now impugns the "competency" of the Court.
From The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details by I. Windslow Ayer
Humphrey, the Court said a prisoner named Roy Heck couldn’t seek monetary damages for what he claimed was an unconstitutional manslaughter conviction, without first getting it overturned or impugned in some way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
"He impugned the integrity of the institutions at the heart of Scottish democracy," she writes, adding: "He was prepared to traumatise, time and again, the women at the centre of it all".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
“It would seem that because not only their reputations are being impugned, but they are central to this case—it would seem that an interview of these two prosecutors would be central.”
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2024
Then he publicly impugned her honesty, her motives and even her sanity after she told the story publicly in a 2019 memoir.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
People tend to get defensive when the integrity of their national sport is impugned.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Just as in Pretti’s case, Noem and other senior administration officials justified the incident within hours of her death by impugning the victim’s motives without producing substantive evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026
Such was the outcry that Ms. Oudéa-Castéra was obliged to apologize for impugning the performance of teachers.
From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
She said plaintiffs could potentially go after companies for faulty or negligent designs that result in algorithms putting out damaging information, impugning reputation.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 13, 2023
“I do not appreciate his impugning the integrity of these proceedings, your honor’s efforts to run a fair trial and our efforts to run a fair trial.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
American government officials, the press, and the public expressed their disappointment with the delays, many impugning the agency’s judgment and competence.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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