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
Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Was banishing Natalie Anderson Tara’s ultimate undoing?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Others are still undoing pandemic-era hiring bonanzas, and some blame layoffs on AI’s productivity.
—Molly Liebergall, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for undoing
Noun
But Open, Heaven also courses with youth’s great agony, the cruelty that learning to love should be inexorably followed by learning to grieve its undoing.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Was banishing Natalie Anderson Tara’s ultimate undoing?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
But the House version — HB 217 — doesn’t come close to undoing the damage.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Others are still undoing pandemic-era hiring bonanzas, and some blame layoffs on AI’s productivity.
—Molly Liebergall, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for undoing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undoing
Noun
-
Subaru enthusiasts may likely look past the vehicle’s main downfall, its subpar range and lack of refinement.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
To be fair, Titus betraying his sister does ultimately lead to his downfall, even if Ursula isn’t around to see it.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, paralyzing him from the waist down.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In a region where weather swings from paralyzing ice storms to scorching summers, these elements carry weight.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Like, cool, got the game, but now the TV feels small, and suddenly the thermostat situation is bothering you, too.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Eventually, the girl let on that her classmate had indeed been bothering her, poking her in the back and face with his fingers — but did not say the boy had threatened to kill her, according to the police report.—
Jeff Ernsthausen,
ProPublica,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Sacramento County Parks Department says there's been a big increase in vandalism and destruction of the nature preserve due to unauthorized use of off-road bicycles and e-bikes.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
After the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Other than that, the differences in the format were small, distracting only because of how ingrained the cadences of the original are.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
-
During the costly possession when the Rebels let the shot clock expire with 41 seconds left, Thienou surprised her coach by passing up a shot while the crowd was roaring and clearly distracting the visitors.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
During the first phase, last spring, before DHS got the infusion of new money, Noem led a shock-and-awe campaign aimed mostly at scaring people into leaving.—
Nick Miroff,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
At the time, local hunters blamed the Ping for scaring away game.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That’s when something tightened, a brief, instinctual clam-closing and then loosening again just as fast.—
Dawn Lerman,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Lawmakers will debate bills related to loosening gun regulations at colleges in at least eight states this year, including Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Undoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undoing. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
