as in weakened
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. The events of the past year have undermined people's confidence in the government.
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Recent Examples of undermined
While in most places these efforts succeeded in the short term, over time the lived realities—particularly the everyday violence—of military rule undermined support for the royal cause, dooming efforts to resuscitate the British Empire in America.
—
Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Whatever desire the audience might have to root for Kerr is undermined by his mounting failures in the ring and his growing friction with Dawn.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Coalitions are formed and dissolved regularly, not always in a very amiable way, but nothing so far has undermined our new reality of equal coexistence.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
But haste makes waste, and overlooking the challenges that undermined past efforts would invite their return.
—Kathryn Huff, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
She is portrayed as both stunning and clever, yet the verse highlights how women in the public eye are often undermined, overlooked, or accused of cutting corners regardless of their success.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
That mission has now been undermined.
—John Eger, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Some political scientists see a pattern that suggests American democracy is being undermined in real time.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Advocates for athletes’ rights should avoid repeating the same transparency double-standards that have long undermined those rights, and instead champion the vital role open records—from coaching deals to athletic department budgets—have played in advancing their cause.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Whatever desire the audience might have to root for Kerr is undermined by his mounting failures in the ring and his growing friction with Dawn.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Coalitions are formed and dissolved regularly, not always in a very amiable way, but nothing so far has undermined our new reality of equal coexistence.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
But haste makes waste, and overlooking the challenges that undermined past efforts would invite their return.
—Kathryn Huff, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
She is portrayed as both stunning and clever, yet the verse highlights how women in the public eye are often undermined, overlooked, or accused of cutting corners regardless of their success.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
That mission has now been undermined.
—John Eger, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Some political scientists see a pattern that suggests American democracy is being undermined in real time.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Advocates for athletes’ rights should avoid repeating the same transparency double-standards that have long undermined those rights, and instead champion the vital role open records—from coaching deals to athletic department budgets—have played in advancing their cause.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undermined
Verb
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Nearly everything weakened, from Big Tech companies like Nvidia and Apple to stocks of smaller companies looking to get past uncertainty about tariffs and trade.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Eighteen packages of European Union sanctions and dozens more from the United States, United Kingdom and others have weakened Russia’s economy – but not its resolve to carry on fighting.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As the cone eroded over time, olivine crystals became concentrated in this area.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
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The billionaire investor compared today's environment to the early 1970s, when inflation, heavy government spending and high debt loads eroded confidence in paper assets and fiat currencies.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Avoid cans that are damaged, dented, bulging, or leaking.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Adding mulch too early when temperatures are still warm traps heat and tricks plant roots to remain active and produce new growth that can be damaged by cold temperatures.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The laws regulating undercover operations are relatively lenient in Australia; in Canada, which has long used similar tactics, judges have challenged the targeting of suspects who are socially isolated or cognitively impaired.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
But 24 of the 30 were impaired by pollution – primarily nitrogen – at the time of this designation, and today, their condition has not improved.—
Christopher F. Meindl,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Last week, Discord confirmed that some of its users were impacted by a data breach after one of its third-party customer service providers was compromised.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Oct. 2025
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He was owed more than $100 million over the next two seasons and tore his Achilles during the playoffs, making one of those years wasted, while the second one could still be compromised by his injury.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sky’s friendship with her former Damage Control stablemates deteriorated in recent weeks as Sky’s relationship with Ripley has grown.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
-
But as the issues with Prince Harry have reportedly been getting better in the last few months, with the two even meeting in person for the first time in over a year in September, the relationship with his oldest son and heir, Prince William, has reportedly deteriorated.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Undermined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undermined. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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