as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
an intractable drug habit proved to be her sad undoing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in paralyzing
to deprive of courage or confidence
the sudden shriek undid the campers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfastening
to disengage the knotted parts of
undo a tangled shoelace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the mere mention of the home invasion still had the power to undo her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of undoing
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
Yet the growth trajectory faces an undoing of its own making.
—Kiri Masters, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Annexation, however, could upend that entire process, undoing past agreements and making future ones impossible.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undoing
Noun
Starring Oscar Isaac as the titular brilliant but egotistical scientist Victor, Frankenstein sees the doctor bring a creature (Elordi) to life with a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to both of their undoings.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
Yet the growth trajectory faces an undoing of its own making.
—Kiri Masters, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Effectively, this turned the workspace into a yank buffer along with all your documents, and undoing any destructive editing operation thus became merely another cut and paste.
—Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Annexation, however, could upend that entire process, undoing past agreements and making future ones impossible.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undoing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undoing
Noun
-
Despite his warning, lead poisoning may have contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire through the use of lead in wine, bowls, cups, and cosmetics.—
Tom Frieden,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Starring Boszhardt, Gershon, Adrian Enscoe (Dickinson), Chelsea Gilligan (Star-Crossed), and Madison Lewis (Alexander IRL), the film chronicles the downfall of the once-powerful Wendolyn family.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The pressure Alex, who is endowed by Martin with endearing softness and paralyzing self-doubt, feels to be a brave cop, a strong father, and the righteous hero of this story can’t be separated from his experience as a trans man still honing his relationship to masculinity.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
-
By contrast, maybe such language engenders a sense of defeatism, a belief in the inevitability of collapse which is collectively paralyzing.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The injury that will sideline Herro to begin this season is one that had been bothering him for a few months.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Even scrambling around, his knee was bothering him.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Shackleton blamed the sinking of the Endurance on the destruction of its rudder; for more than a century, historians accepted this explanation.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
-
They’re often greeted with the sight of their mischievous pup climbing onto furniture or causing destruction while unattended.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Rather than distracting from the acting, the animation also only enhances the heightened emotions of adolescence.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The subtle side snap buttons leading down to the slit provide detail without being distracting, and the pointelle knit offers enough stretch and texture to hug your curves in all the right places.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The modus operandi generally involved either scaring a convenience store owner and fleeing with thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, like one such incident at a 7-Eleven in Walnut Creek where masked men stole $8,000 in tobacco products, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
During today’s announcement, Kennedy at least acknowledged the trade-offs inherent in scaring pregnant Americans off Tylenol, and allowed that, sometimes, using it is unavoidable.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The commonwealth has been without an operational freestanding birthing center since the 1980s, said Mary Kathryn DeLodder, director of the Kentucky Birth Coalition — a grassroots organization that led the charge in advocating for legislation loosening regulations for the facilities.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Earlier this week, hedge fund billionaire David Tepper issued a stern warning that loosening too much risks more inflation and poses other dangers to the economy and markets.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Undoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undoing. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share