From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishundermineun‧der‧mine /ˌʌndəˈmaɪn $ -ər-/ ●●○ verb [transitive] SPOILto gradually make someone or something less strong or effective economic policies that threaten to undermine the health care systemundermine somebody’s confidence/authority/position/credibility etc The constant criticism was beginning to undermine her confidence.► see thesaurus at spoil→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
undermine• These should be laid on the gravel to form a sound base which the fish can not undermine.• Alas, his careful pacing and the stars' restrained performances are undermined by a tell-all trailer and an uneven script.• Unfair criticism can undermine employees' self-confidence.• The US was accused of undermining international efforts to combat global warming.• Local authorities and trade unions will need to respond to gratuitous fault finding and undermining of political leadership.• The kidnappings undermined several months of delicate peace negotiations.• Losing the witness will seriously undermine the government's case against Jones.• Inflation has undermined the legitimacy of the market order.• Paradoxically, it has not even been able to undermine the relative economic stability of the imperialist countries.• The suspension of an integral part of the Convention undermines their expectations.• Relying on math formulas or drills in class, the study suggests, bores many students and undermines their performance. 