impugn
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Middle French impugner, from Latin impugnō, from im- + pugnō (“fight”), from pugnus (“fist”), as in English pugilism (“fighting with fists, boxing”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
impugn (third-person singular simple present impugns, present participle impugning, simple past and past participle impugned)
- (transitive, obsolete) To assault, attack.
- (transitive) To verbally assault, especially to argue against an opinion, motive, or action; to question the truth or validity of.
- Synonyms: call into question, challenge, contest, contradict, deny, disavow, dispute, oppugn, negate
- Antonyms: authenticate, endorse, support
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:impugn.
- 2023 March 13, Mark Sappenfield, “Governing wisely”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
- [The fact] that Americans’ trust in government is at historic lows […] makes it easier for politicians to impugn the system – courts, parties, and institutions.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
To assault, attack
A rejoinder using a false equivalence; to imply using a disingenuous argument while arguing against an opinion, motive, or action
|
question the validity of
|