Relying on math formulas or drills in class, the study suggests, bores many students and undermines their performance. The suspension of an integral part of the Convention undermines their expectations.Paradoxically, it has not even been able to undermine the relative economic stability of the imperialist countries.Inflation has undermined the legitimacy of the market order.Losing the witness will seriously undermine the government's case against Jones.Local authorities and trade unions will need to respond to gratuitous fault finding and undermining of political leadership. Define Undermine by Webster's Dictionary, WordNet Lexical Database, Dictionary of Computing, Legal Dictionary, Medical Dictionary, Dream Dictionary.The US was accused of undermining international efforts to combat global warming.Unfair criticism can undermine employees' self-confidence.Alas, his careful pacing and the stars' restrained performances are undermined by a tell-all trailer and an uneven script.These should be laid on the gravel to form a sound base which the fish can not undermine.► see thesaurus at spoil → See Verb table Examples from the Corpus undermine ○ verb SPOIL to gradually make someone or something less strong or effective economic policies that threaten to undermine the health care system undermine somebody’s confidence/authority/position/credibility etc The constant criticism was beginning to undermine her confidence.Specifically, weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English undermine un‧der‧mine / ˌʌndəˈmaɪn $ -ər- / The words weaken and undermine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. The words disable and undermine can be used in similar contexts, but disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.ĭisabled by an injury sustained at work When is it sensible to use enfeeble instead of undermine?Īlthough the words enfeeble and undermine have much in common, enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.Įnfeebled by starvation When might weaken be a better fit than undermine? The debilitating effects of surgery When could disable be used to replace undermine? While the synonyms debilitate and undermine are close in meaning, debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality. The meanings of cripple and undermine largely overlap however, cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element.Ĭrippled by arthritis When can debilitate be used instead of undermine? But we more often use the word to describe sabotage or the. to make someone less confident, less powerful, or less likely to succeed, or to make something weaker, often gradually: The president has accused two cabinet members of working secretly to undermine his position /him. While all these words mean "to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor," undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.ĭrugs had sapped his ability to think When is cripple a more appropriate choice than undermine? To undermine literally means to dig a hole underneath something, making it likely to collapse. Some common synonyms of undermine are cripple, debilitate, disable, enfeeble, sap, and weaken. The events of the past year have undermined people's confidence in the government. Frequently Asked Questions About undermine How is the word undermine distinct from other similar verbs? to make (someone or something) weaker or less effective usually in a secret or gradual way She tried to undermine my authority by complaining about me to my boss.
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