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

The drop in the currency is a particular sore spot, undermining people’s savings and raising costs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Trouble surfaced after the summer when bitcoin began falling, eventually dropping below $90,000 in November, undermining confidence in companies heavily exposed to it.

From Barron's

This kind of symbolism works because "without even giving a speech, you are undermining the authoritarian script".

From BBC

Furthermore, they expect the flaws in those reports to persist well into 2026, undermining their usefulness as true economic indicators.

From Los Angeles Times

“However, in cutting rates further, there is an increased risk in pushing long-term bond yields higher and undermining the dollar.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• subversion