undermine

Erode from below

To undermine something is to weaken it from beneath or within.

The literal sense—digging under a foundation to cause collapse—extends to any gradual erosion of strength, authority, or confidence: The scandal undermined public trust in the institution.

You can undermine a person's credibility, an argument's logic, or your own health through neglect.

The damage is typically slow and insidious rather than sudden.

weaken

sap

Plant circulatory fluid

diminishTo make smaller
compromiseAgreement through mutual sacrifice
destabilizeMake unsteady or insecure

enfeeble · debilitate · impair · chip away · wear down · corrode · attenuate · subvert · eat away · gnaw at

erode

erosion

Gradual wearing away

weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
excavateRemove earth systematically
tunnelEnclosed underground route

burrow · hollow · sapping · foundations · destabilize · collapse · subsidence · sinkhole · seepage · groundwater

sabotage

saboteur

One who deliberately undermines

subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
treacheryDeliberate violation of trust
conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming

wreck · obstruct · thwart · hamper · derail · torpedo · scuttle · booby-trap · tamper · disrupt

subvert

insidious

Subtly destructive over time

infiltrateEnter secretly to observe
manipulateControl through clever influence
seditionInciting revolt against government

conspire · scheming · propaganda · disinformation · deceive · turn against · agitate · stir up trouble · coopt · pervert

discredit

delegitimize

Deny rightful authority

impugnAttack as false
disparageExpress low opinion of
smearSpread or defame

defame · tarnish · call into question · character assassination · mudslinging · insinuate · whisper campaign · badmouth · slander · malign

undermine

sap

erosion

saboteur

insidious

delegitimize

undermine

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