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

Unhappily for the FCC, the same force helping to keep the big game on local TV in the short run is undermining it in the long run.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The new body, inspired by the IPCC, was recommended in a G20 report authored by Stiglitz, demanding action to address a global "inequality emergency", which it warned was undermining both democracy and economic progress.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

"But what is happening now risks undermining the results of 30 to 35 years of efforts in the fight against the disease."

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

If the court accepts the “speech” narrative, it risks undermining decades of precedent recognizing the state’s authority to regulate professional misconduct.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

After the German surrender, he brought one more argument to the table: using the bomb on Japan would fatally compromise America’s moral and humanitarian standing, undermining any efforts to create a workable international control regime.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• subversion