impugn

English

WOTD – 27 April 2006

Etymology

Borrowed fromMiddle Frenchimpugner,fromLatinimpugnō,fromim-+pugnō(“fight”),frompugnus(“fist”),as in Englishpugilism(“fighting with fists, boxing”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ɪmˈpjuːn/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-uːn
• Homophone:impune

Verb

impugn(third-person singular simple presentimpugns,present participleimpugning,simple past and past participleimpugned)

1. (transitive,obsolete)Toassault,attack.
2. (transitive)To verballyassault,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, seeCitations:impugn.
   • 2023March 13, Mark Sappenfield, “Governing wisely”,inThe Christian Science Monitor:

     [The fact] that Americans’ trust in government is at historic lows […] makes it easier for politicians toimpugnthe system – courts, parties, and institutions.

Derived terms

• impugnable
• impugner
• impugnment
• impugnation

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pewǵ-‎(0 c, 24 e)

Translations

To assault, attack

• Czech:napadnout(cs)pf
• Dutch:aanvallen(nl)
• French:attaquer(fr)
• German:angreifen(de)
• Spanish:arremeter(es),vilipendiar(es)
• Swedish:attackera(sv),angripa(sv)

A rejoinder using a false equivalence; to imply using a disingenuous argument while arguing against an opinion, motive, or action

• Bulgarian:опровергавам(bg)(oprovergavam)
• Dutch:bestrijden(nl),weerspreken(nl)
• Finnish:kyseenalaistaa(fi),kiistää(fi)
• French:contredire(fr)
• German:widersprechen(de),bestreiten(de),anfechten(de)
• Greek:

  Ancient:ὄνομαι(ónomai)

• Swedish:bestrida(sv),ifrågasätta(sv)

question the validity of

• Bulgarian:оспорвам(bg)(osporvam)
• Czech:zpochybňovatimpf,zpochybnitpf
• Dutch:betwisten(nl)
• Finnish:kyseenalaistaa(fi)
• French:contester(fr)
• German:angreifen(de),in Zweifel ziehen,bestreiten(de),infrage stellen(de),anfechten(de)
• Russian:оспаривать(ru)(osparivatʹ),подвергатьсомнению
• Spanish:impugnar(es)
• Swedish:ifrågasätta(sv),jäva
• Ukrainian:оспорювати(osporjuvaty),ставити під сумнів(stavyty pid sumniv)

Anagrams

• Muping,umping