Synonyms of undermine

undermine

verb

as in to weaken

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.

Related Words

• weaken
• impair
• erode
• damage
• compromise
• deteriorate
• destroy
• injure
• hurt
• cripple
• harm
• vitiate
• spoil
• enfeeble
• enervate
• disfigure
• mar
• flaw
• bloody
• shatter
• cross (up)
• deface
• tarnish
• wear (away)
• break
• ruin
• scour
• wash out
• blemish
• blight
• crab
• dent
• endamage
• demolish
• devastate
• botch
• disable
• gum (up)
• ding
• wound
• wreck
• decimate
• annihilate
• maim
• mutilate
• torture
• lacerate
• queer
• wipe out
• dint
• crush
• torment
• hamstring
• mangle
• pulverize
• smash
• waste
• tear down
• raze
• clobber
• total
• desolate
• lame
• bash
• do in
• scourge
• batter
• dash
• bang up

Dissimilar Words

• help
• rehabilitate
• rectify
• remedy
• heal
• cure
• improve
• enhance
• revise
• better
• enrich
• perfect
• edit
• ameliorate
• refine
• remodel
• reconstruct
• rebuild
• repair
• fix
• patch
• renovate
• revamp
• mend
• meliorate
• recondition
• doctor

Synonym Chooser

How is the word undermine distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of undermine are cripple, debilitate, disable, enfeeble, sap, and weaken. While all these words mean "to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor," undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health

drugs had sapped his ability to think

When is cripple a more appropriate choice than undermine?

The meanings of cripple and undermine largely overlap; however, cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element.

crippled by arthritis

When can debilitate be used instead of undermine?

While the synonyms debilitate and undermine are close in meaning, debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

When could disable be used to replace undermine?

The words disable and undermine can be used in similar contexts, but disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

When is it sensible to use enfeeble instead of undermine?

Although the words enfeeble and undermine have much in common, enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

When might weaken be a better fit than undermine?

The words weaken and undermine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of undermine

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari joined condemnation of the bombing, saying militants and their backers sought to undermine the country’s role in regional and international peace efforts. —Abdul Sattar, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026

Sarah, Claire’s relentlessly perky robot sidekick, similarly cannot compute why Claire would wish to undermine Sarah’s prime directive, to keep Claire alive. —Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026

Besides adhering to and leveraging various spectrums of light, temperature, air quality, and noise levels, these conditions are underrated factors that either support or undermine human biology hour by hour. —Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026

But too much partisan support could risk undermining the credibility of his and other researchers’ work. —Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026