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oppugn

[ uh-pyoon ]
/ əˈpyun /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oppugn ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to assail by criticism, argument, or action.
to call in question; dispute.

RELATED WORDS

criticize, contradict, controvert, attack, argue, debate

Nearby words

  1. oppressive,
  2. oppressively,
  3. oppressor,
  4. opprobrious,
  5. opprobrium,
  6. oppugnant,
  7. opr,
  8. opra,
  9. opruss,
  10. opry

Origin of oppugn

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin oppugnāre to oppose, attack, equivalent to op- op- + pugnāre to fight, derivative of pugnus fist; see pugilism
Related formsop·pugn·er, nounun·op·pugned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for oppugn

oppugn

/ (əˈpjuːn) /

verb

(tr) to call into question; dispute
Derived Formsoppugner, noun

Word Origin for oppugn

C15: from Latin oppugnāre, from ob- against + pugnāre to fight, from pugnus clenched fist; see pugnacious
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for oppugn

oppugn

v.

mid-15c., from Latin oppugnare "to fight against, attack, assail," from ob- "toward, against" (see ob-) + pugnare "to fight" (see pugnacious). Related: Oppugned; oppugning.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper