undermine
verb (used with object)
to injure or destroy by insidious activity or imperceptible stages, sometimes tending toward a sudden dramatic effect.
was undermining
-
past progressiveof undermine.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
In Shaffer’s play and its adaptations, Mozart never knew that Salieri was undermining him while he was alive, and his music only achieved massive popularity after he died.
From Salon ● May 16, 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
To keep going after that and force them back in each other’s lives, it would have felt like it was undermining the stakes of everything we set up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
Richardson’s decision was made all the more consequential given Nixon’s alleged claim that the attorney general’s action was undermining presidential authority during a national crisis — the critical state of the Yom Kippur War.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
That afternoon, without stirring from her daybed, Emily had guessed that Lola was undermining Briony’s play, a suspicion confirmed by the diagonally ripped poster on the easel.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
