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
Even some allies wondered if Steyer’s wealth undermined his populist message.
—
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
Producers have been cowed internally after the show has been undermined by a media company that has consistently refused to stand up for it in public.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 June 2026
But that kind of moderation bottleneck undermined the Polymath vision.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 June 2026
For Carver, that outcome undermined the idea that the settlement was a compromise.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
But a new report in The New York Times has undermined this dubious claim.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
The senator from Connecticut assesses the pursuit of profit has undermined virtue and character and offers new policies that challenge the status quo.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The same circadian system that morning sunlight activates can be reinforced or undermined by what’s screwed into your lamps for the next 14 hours.
—Allison Palmer
june 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026
The paper argues those guardians both damaged investors and undermined the very mission they were appointed to protect.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
Producers have been cowed internally after the show has been undermined by a media company that has consistently refused to stand up for it in public.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 June 2026
But that kind of moderation bottleneck undermined the Polymath vision.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 June 2026
For Carver, that outcome undermined the idea that the settlement was a compromise.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
But a new report in The New York Times has undermined this dubious claim.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
The senator from Connecticut assesses the pursuit of profit has undermined virtue and character and offers new policies that challenge the status quo.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The same circadian system that morning sunlight activates can be reinforced or undermined by what’s screwed into your lamps for the next 14 hours.
—Allison Palmer
june 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026
The paper argues those guardians both damaged investors and undermined the very mission they were appointed to protect.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undermined
Verb
-
Since taking office in October 2024, President Prabowo Subianto has weakened the institutional guardrails that once constrained fiscal expansion and protected central‑bank independence.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Over the course of two summers, the Kings weakened the fulcrum of their roster by losing Matt Roy and Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency, then exacerbating matters by casting off Jordan Spence for a modest return.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Others spend hundreds of millions only to be left with excess inventory, eroded margins and consumers who have already moved on.—
Keren Novack,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
As the rocks eroded and wore away into their iconic shapes, Native people hunted, gathered and farmed beside them.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
René Magritte’s The Castle of the Pyrenees (1959) has gone to the conservation lab at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after being accidentally damaged by a young museum visitor.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
9 June 2026
-
About 2,500 houses and 117 government buildings and facilities were damaged in several provinces, according to an initial government damage assessment.—
Jim Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The allegations are that the defendant was impaired, failed to properly secure two young children, and then caused a crash that left one child dead, another seriously injured, and an innocent driver badly hurt.—
Gino Vicci,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
And in his closing argument, Erickson lawyer Jeff Braun said his client was not negligent, racing or impaired and that the maximum damage award should be $10 million.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
In 2020, when attackers compromised the Twitter accounts of high-profile figures, Rachel Tobac, an ethical hacker who studied neuroscience and behavioral psychology before entering cybersecurity, was among the first to correctly diagnose the attack as a social engineering breach.—
Tarika Barrett,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Nevertheless, issues related to your job, your pet and even your health might feel compromised today.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Fertilizer affordability has deteriorated to levels not seen since the Arab Spring.—
John W.H. Denton AO,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
By the time Asher, 3 years old at the time, was admitted to a children's hospital for a second time, his condition had significantly deteriorated.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Undermined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undermined. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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