impugned | Definition & Meaning for the SAT
⚡️ IMPUGNED most nearly means: (A) criticized harshly; (B) ignored completely; (C) challenged the validity of; (D) praised enthusiastically. 👉 Answer + examples + pronunciation + explanation inside!
Quick note: If you’ve read my SAT Word of the Day entries for a long time, you may recall that I frequently explain the words as they appeared or may appear on actual tests. In this case, we are learning the past tense/past participle (the -ed form of impugn) of the word instead of the bare infinitive impugn.
ℹ️ Part of speech of impugned
impugned is a VERB (past tense/past participle of 'impugn').
🗣️ Pronunciation of impugned
impugned is pronounced /ɪm.ˈpjund/ or im-PYOOND.
📚️ Definition of impugned
Challenged or disputed the truth, validity, or honesty of something; called into question someone's integrity or credibility. Example: impugned the witness's credibility.
📰 Examples
Here are some examples of impugned in usage:
The lawyer systematically impugned each piece of evidence, deftly casting doubt on the prosecution's case.
The author's credibility was impugned after academics discovered near-certain examples of plagiarism in her book.
It's fascinating (and saddeningly telling) that people will defend their favorite celebrities even when multiple sources have impugned their character.
✅ Quiz answer
Answer to the question above:
C, challenged the validity of. Explanations: A doesn't work; criticized harshly means to find fault with something, but doesn't necessarily question its truth, validity, or integrity. B is incorrect; ignored completely means to pay no attention to something, which is the opposite of actively challenging it. D is wrong; praised enthusiastically means to express approval or admiration, which is essentially the opposite of impugning something.