undermined
Americanadjective
-
attacked, weakened, or defeated by underhand or seemingly harmless actions or by imperceptible stages.
Both the struggling students and the most gifted ones are receiving limited support from an undermined educational system.
-
weakened or made to collapse by removing underlying support, as by eroding or digging away the foundation.
With the release of material from the undermined cliffs at these sites, we should have had far more sand to feed the beaches, not less.
-
deliberately weakened by an excavation or tunnel dug underneath, as by an enemy in war.
When the town was besieged, its defenders abandoned the undermined walls and retired into the citadel.
verb
Etymology
Origin of undermined
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even before last week's disaster struck, Venezuela had struggled with decades of economic crisis and political upheaval that undermined its infrastructure and health services.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Erik Smolinski, a crypto investor, said the revelations undermined his confidence in the president.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
“This ruling preserves a vital tool to protect the stability of the California insurance market. Blocking cost recovery would have undermined the state’s last-resort coverage option,” she said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
England, under the fiercely driven Tuchel, are highly unlikely to have their World Cup aspirations undermined by complacency.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
“I find myself wanting to impress you in a way I never thought about doing before, but being with you has undermined my self-confidence. I question my motives now, about everything I do.”
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
