undoing
Americannoun
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undoings
plural
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the reversing of what has been done; annulling.
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a bringing to destruction, ruin, or disaster.
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a cause of destruction or ruin.
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the act of unfastening or loosing.
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Psychiatry. an unconscious defense mechanism through which an attempt is made to reverse a psychologically unacceptable act by doing its opposite, usually repetitiously, in order to relieve anxiety.
noun
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ruin; downfall
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the cause of downfall
drink was his undoing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of undoing
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at undo, -ing 1
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.
See Examples For:
He fears a bus lane may be its undoing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The appellate panel voiced serious doubts about undoing the consent decree at oral arguments in June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
But the success of the scheme has also been its undoing – it's growing rapidly and costing the government too much.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
And in its zeal to purge the newsroom of dissent, CBS and Weiss may have inadvertently triggered the creation of their most dangerous future competitor — and accidentally set the stage for its own undoing.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
“I’ve been good,” I’d start screaming at the sky, undoing the “recovery.”
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
The bills follow other subtle undoings that opponents have linked to prioritizing energy over conservation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2018
One of the production's inspired touches is to punctuate the private doings and undoings of the characters with snatches of contemporaneous news footage.
From Time Magazine Archive
Worldly doings and undoings on and around a posh golf course.
From Time Magazine Archive
This novel ends where Shakespeare's Hamlet begins--after Act I, Scene 2, to be precise--and fills in the story of what the dramatis personae might have been up to before their tragic undoings at Elsinore.
From Time Magazine Archive
Besides, our own undoings lies upon't, Were there no other cause, I do not see, Why you should go: If I should say you should not.
From Beaumont & Fletcher's Works (8 of 10) The Womans Prize; The Island Princess; The Noble Gentleman; The Coronation; The Coxcomb by Francis Beaumont
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