UNDERMINED Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

undermined

verb

past tense of undermine

as in weakened

to make (someone or something) weaker or less effective usually in a secret or gradual way She tried to undermine my authority by complaining about me to my boss. The events of the past year have undermined people's confidence in the government.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of undermined To More, this undermined the biblical origins of the Catholic Church. — Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 30 June 2026 The design isn’t all that discreet, and the clever engineering is undermined by hardware limitations, such as the lack of weatherproofing and the fiddly arms that secure it to your neck. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026 The next year, in 2015, came an unrelated event — unknown to Broadwater — that further undermined the credibility of his conviction. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 Brilliant start undermined The first half hour of the match was played at the pace Ivory Coast desired with Les Elephants using their high press and long passes to consistently put Norway on its heels. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026 The report found that all institutions operated with a ratio of more than 100 inmates per officer, which undermined staff’s ability to respond to incidents at the facilities. — Theodore Rose, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2026 Community opposition to temporary waste storage, which risks becoming permanent without a federal waste repository, further undermined the project. — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 So far, Milei has defended his Cabinet chief, even as the scandal damaged his government’s public image, constrained his political leverage in negotiations with allies and undermined his communication about spending cuts to Argentines scraping by on salaries that increasingly fall behind inflation. — Clara Preve, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026 So far, Milei has defended his Cabinet chief, even as the scandal damaged his government’s public image, constrained his political leverage in negotiations with allies and undermined his communication about spending cuts to Argentines scraping by on salaries that increasingly fall behind inflation. — ABC News, 27 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for undermined

Verb

Yet finance, policy certainty and infrastructure weakened for the first time in more than a decade.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Internal fractures, economic decline and public frustration have weakened the movement and opened a new chapter of uncertainty.

— Armando Regil Velasco, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of weakened

Verb

Fierce domestic competition has eroded its footprint in China, one of its most important markets.

— Andrew Staples, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Moscow says the strike was retaliation for Ukraine’s 40-day campaign on Russian oil refineries and supply lines, which has fueled shortages, hit Crimea and eroded battlefield momentum.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of eroded

Verb

Residential buildings were badly damaged in the assault, leaving people trapped in multi-story apartment blocks and an entire family that was killed pulled from the rubble, while cars were seen burning on city streets.

— Helen Regan, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
As a bonus, those seasons are ideal for planting a replacement shrub or re-establishing a lawn if it is damaged during the shrub removal.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026

Definition of damaged

Verb

Saturday, July 4, at Oak Island, and the SUV driver is accused of being impaired, the Oak Island Police Department said in a July 5 news release.

— Mark Price July 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
For fireworks, this means that visibility Friday along the coast could be impaired as the marine layer drifts in and out, but visibility will generally be much better Saturday, especially just a few miles inland.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of impaired

Verb

Israel and Turkey were once close allies, but ties deteriorated after Erdogan, whose party is rooted in Turkey’s Islamic movement, came to power.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
The situation in Haiti has deteriorated since armed groups took control of most of Port-au-Prince in 2024.

— Tirana Hassan, Time, 26 June 2026

Definition of deteriorated

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“Undermined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undermined. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of undermined

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