impugn
[ im-pyoon ]
/ ɪmˈpyun /
verb (used with object)
to challenge as false (another's statements, motives, etc.); cast doubt upon.
Archaic. to assail (a person) by words or arguments; vilify.
Obsolete. to attack (a person) physically.
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RELATED WORDS
hazardous, dangerous, uncertain, unhealthy, touchy, unsettled, insecure, shaky, risky, unreliable, rocky, unstable, delicate, ticklish, slippery, unsteady, problematic, perilous, dicey, indecisive
Nearby words
- imprudent,
- impsonite,
- impudence,
- impudent,
- impudicity,
- impuissant,
- impulse,
- impulse buying,
- impulse control disorder,
- impulse turbine
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for impugnable
The only impugnable matter in the deed lies, as has been said, in the number of cardinals so created at a batch.
The Life of Cesare Borgia|Raphael Sabatini
impugn
/ (ɪmˈpjuːn) /
verb
(tr) to challenge or attack as false; assail; criticize
Word Origin for impugn
C14: from Old French impugner, from Latin impugnāre to fight against, attack, from im- + pugnāre to fight
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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impugn
"attack by argument," late 14c., from Old French impugner, from Latin impugnare "to assault, to attack," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + pugnare "to fight" (see pugnacious). Related: Impugned; impugning.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper