undermine
Formsundermines, undermining, undermined
- 1To slowly make something weaker, often in a quiet or hidden way.
Like quietly taking bricks out of a wall until it falls down.
Constant criticism can undermine a child's confidence.
She felt her colleagues were trying to undermine her authority.
Oppositestrengthen, support, bolster, reinforce
Note
- 2To slowly wear away the ground or base under something, often by water.
Like water digging away the sand under your feet at the beach until you sink.
Years of crashing waves undermined the cliff until part of it collapsed.
Flooding can undermine the foundations of even well-built houses.
Similarerode, scour, weaken, sap
Oppositereinforce, strengthen
Note
- 3To dig a tunnel under something, such as a wall, to make it fall down or to attack.
Like digging a hole under a sandcastle so the top falls in.
Soldiers tried to undermine the castle wall by digging beneath it.
The attackers undermined the tower until it crumbled into the ditch.
Oppositereinforce, strengthen
Note
- 4To treat a thing as nothing more than the smaller parts it is made of.
Like saying a cake is not really a cake, just flour, eggs, and sugar mixed together.
Some thinkers undermine a table by saying it is really just atoms.
If you undermine a forest, you treat it as only the separate trees inside it.
Similarreduce
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Practice
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Origin
From under- plus mine.