as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
an intractable drug habit proved to be her sad undoing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in paralyzing
to deprive of courage or confidence
the sudden shriek undid the campers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfastening
to disengage the knotted parts of
undo a tangled shoelace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the mere mention of the home invasion still had the power to undo her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 undoing
Howard Fendrich, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Last season, the Kings went 46-36 but did not make the playoffs, and a 13-18 start this season with a five-game home losing skid was Brown’s undoing, leading to Christie and a new reboot.
—Joe Davidson, Sacramento Bee, 6 Jan. 2025
Kanter’s actions yet again are the undoing of his case.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
That transaction, as will be explained shortly, ultimately led to his undoing.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undoing
Noun
But don’t think this was merely an instance of Sabalenka being her own undoing.
—Howard Fendrich, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Last season, the Kings went 46-36 but did not make the playoffs, and a 13-18 start this season with a five-game home losing skid was Brown’s undoing, leading to Christie and a new reboot.
—Joe Davidson, Sacramento Bee, 6 Jan. 2025
Kanter’s actions yet again are the undoing of his case.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
That transaction, as will be explained shortly, ultimately led to his undoing.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undoing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undoing
Noun
-
And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
His season-ending injury helped the Cowboys’ downfall in 2024.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But soon, Salinas found herself under a monthslong investigation, trying to fight off paralyzing depression while processing her grief and caring for her other children.—
Shoshana Walter,
USA TODAY,
11 Dec. 2024
-
Yoon said the opposition politicians who control parliament are paralyzing the government and subverting democracy, accusing them of aligning with North Korea.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
4 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Rodin Cars The big idea behind Rodin is to build cars without bothering about vehicle regulations – in stark contrast to F1 cars, which are subject to several rules around how they're put together.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Jan. 2025
-
The city and state have also been ramping up efforts to engage troubled vagrants sleeping and sometimes bothering straphangers, connecting them with services and shelter and potentially involuntary treatment.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
On March 28, an individual who had been missing since Helene's destruction was found and identified as 66-year-old Russell Wilber, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Wednesday.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The path of destruction stretched about 11 miles in the city outside Tulsa, and radar indicated a possible tornado had formed, according to a statement from city government.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This is a clever way to offer a dual-screen experience without the flaws inherent to current dual-screen laptops, including distracting hinges and designs with questionable durability.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
7 Jan. 2025
-
In a car, this could be used to hide distracting entertainment displays from the driver while passengers are able to see information such as music playlists or calendar alerts, for example.—
Barry Collins,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Overweight and obesity need to be treated safely and effectively to avoid that worrying forecast.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Dec. 2024
-
Bitcoin has dropping back from its all-time high of over $100,000 in the last week as BlackRock quietly confirmed a worrying bitcoin bombshell.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
But Forbes reported that unraveling TikTok from ByteDance will be all but impossible, and more recently, found that if TikTok is banned, Americans’ data could flow back to China.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Jack eventually saves Santa and defeats Oogie by unraveling his cloth, revealing a squirming pile of insects.—
Mike Miller,
People.com,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
This new era of AI can feel intimidating for the limited, human life forms that created it.—
Marc Zao-Sanders,
Harvard Business Review,
17 Dec. 2024
-
Only six years older than Crystal, the comedian still found Scorsese intimidating.—
Lester Fabian Brathwaite,
EW.com,
16 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Undoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undoing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share