undermining

American  

[uhn-der-mahy-ning] / ˈʌn dərˌmaɪ nɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of injuring, attacking, or destroying something or someone indirectly or by imperceptible degrees, often leading to a dramatic collapse.

   The undermining of Scottish Gaelic as a viable language resulted not from decrees, but from a gradual weakening of independent Scottish institutions.

2. the act or process of weakening something or causing it to collapse by removing its underlying support, as by erosion.

   During the heavy rains, blocked sewers caused the flooding of the basement and the undermining of the wall by water.

3. the act of digging or tunneling underneath something, as a military stronghold.

   The siege works were now close enough to allow the undermining of some of the bastions of the fortress.

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adjective

1. weakening something or someone gradually or indirectly.

   Seating students in rows, so they cannot see each other’s faces, has an undermining effect on their engagement.

2. digging or tunneling underneath something, or removing or eroding its underlying support.

   The land along the shoreline collapsed because of undermining waves and currents.

Other Word Forms

• underminingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of undermining

First recorded in 1350–1400; undermin(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; undermin(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

It could thus hit the eurozone economy at a time growth was starting to get back on track, potentially undermining efforts to close the gap with China and the United States.

From Barron's

Ghana Chamber of Mines CEO Kenneth Ashigbey said miners were not opposed to the state seeking higher returns but warned that the current proposals risk undermining competitiveness.

From Barron's

In a policy document, the housing department said the delays were an "unintended consequence" of the post-Grenfell safety regime, and risked undermining the government's gigabit-capable broadband targets.

From BBC

Workers accused Kaiser Permanente of unlawfully undermining negotiations and attempting to intimidate workers by warning them about the consequences of striking and directing their peers to report union activity to management.

From Los Angeles Times

Now that these activities and the protests they have engendered have resulted in multiple deaths, the administration and its allies are further undermining trust by their public response to the incidents.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• subversion