as in erosion
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction
the view that the constant mudslinging and negative campaigning contributes to the undermining of the public's faith in politics and government
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in weakening
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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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of undermining
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
This is a direct undermining of the idea of art.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Long commute times are certainly frustrating, but continual undermining of mass transit projects isn’t going to solve the problem.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
What is the purpose of this layering and undermining of the story’s authenticity?
—John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
The undermining of an independent judiciary.
—Richard Stengel, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
What is required is a pullback - on huge deficits, on aggravating international and internal relationships, and on the undermining of historical foundations of the United States.
—John S. Tobey, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Flores and Cantello also said many of their colleagues were placed on administrative leave after signing a letter of dissent criticizing EPA leadership’s undermining of public trust and disregard for scientific consensus.
—William Tong, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
Experts say multinationals and foreign investors still want a share of India's consumption story — but the country's inability to create more white-collar jobs is undermining that narrative.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Bondi’s fumbling of the Epstein files investigation sparked outrage from conservatives and Congress, undermining her credibility.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
The technology is simultaneously generating the infrastructure demand and undermining the workforce capacity to meet it.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Egypt outlawed the movement in 2013, accusing it of inciting unrest and undermining state institutions.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Democrats have voted to defund DHS seven times, triggering airport chaos and undermining TSA operations.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Archbishop Henry Ndukuba criticized the move as undermining traditional Anglican teaching and warned that such decisions threatened the unity of the Anglican Communion.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
That’s a barrier, undermining the very mission of the Endowment, which in recent years has made significant investments to expand access to high-quality care for Nutmeg State families of diverse backgrounds.
—Josette Walters, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
The concentration of power in one person, the undermining of elections, disregarding the rule of law, the weakening checks and balances, and replacing constitutional loyalty with personal loyalty.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
This is a direct undermining of the idea of art.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Long commute times are certainly frustrating, but continual undermining of mass transit projects isn’t going to solve the problem.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
What is the purpose of this layering and undermining of the story’s authenticity?
—John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
The undermining of an independent judiciary.
—Richard Stengel, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
What is required is a pullback - on huge deficits, on aggravating international and internal relationships, and on the undermining of historical foundations of the United States.
—John S. Tobey, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Flores and Cantello also said many of their colleagues were placed on administrative leave after signing a letter of dissent criticizing EPA leadership’s undermining of public trust and disregard for scientific consensus.
—William Tong, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Common topics of health misinformation include false claims about vaccines, promoting remedies that are not supported by science and undermining scientific understanding about the causes of different health issues.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
Experts say multinationals and foreign investors still want a share of India's consumption story — but the country's inability to create more white-collar jobs is undermining that narrative.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Bondi’s fumbling of the Epstein files investigation sparked outrage from conservatives and Congress, undermining her credibility.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
The technology is simultaneously generating the infrastructure demand and undermining the workforce capacity to meet it.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Egypt outlawed the movement in 2013, accusing it of inciting unrest and undermining state institutions.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Democrats have voted to defund DHS seven times, triggering airport chaos and undermining TSA operations.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Archbishop Henry Ndukuba criticized the move as undermining traditional Anglican teaching and warned that such decisions threatened the unity of the Anglican Communion.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
That’s a barrier, undermining the very mission of the Endowment, which in recent years has made significant investments to expand access to high-quality care for Nutmeg State families of diverse backgrounds.
—Josette Walters, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undermining
Noun
-
There *are* signs of erosion among his base.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Hess said residents raised concerns about erosion, litter, fire risk and nuisance activity.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Seniors are the most reliable midterm voters in the country, and with the 2026 elections approaching and affordability already their top concern, weakening this program is a risk Republicans should not be taking.—
Joe Hardy,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
However, rejecting the goal of citizenship verification altogether risks weakening public confidence in the system.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An asteroid the size of a house exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk with the force of 440,000 tons of TNT, damaging buildings and injuring more than 1,600 people, according to NASA.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that an airstrike hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building.—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Equal citizenship is the foundation of democracy, and the framers sought to prevent politicans from eroding that foundation.—
David Cole,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
And even those who do own their own home aren’t immune—taxes, energy bills, and grocery prices have all surged, quietly eroding the financial cushion many assumed would last decades.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By impairing onboard cameras and targeting optics, the platform offers a non-kinetic method of mitigating UAV threats without physically destroying the aircraft.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
-
These compounds may block iodine transport to the thyroid, impairing thyroid function.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Autonomous systems must handle edge cases and systemic failures without compromising passenger safety.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
-
This means the hair boasts 80% cuticle alignment, maintains its sumptuous, silky texture after 20+ washes, and undergoes only minimal, delicate acid-washing for sanitation without compromising its integrity.—
Noel Cymone Walker,
StyleCaster,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Undermining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undermining. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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