impugn
to attack as false or wrong
Root
- pugn: fight
Other words with the pugn root
- pugnacious: eager or quick to fight
- pugnacity: eagerness to fight or argue
- repugnant: extremely offensive, distasteful, or unacceptable
Pugn gives fight. To impugn is to fight a claim or character by attacking its truth.
The lawyer tried to impugn the witness by pointing to contradictions.
Impugn is not a physical punch. It is an attack in argument. You impugn someone when you call their honesty, motive, or evidence into question.