Specifically, weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power. The words weaken and undermine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. 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.ĭisabled by an injury sustained at work When is it sensible to use enfeeble instead of undermine?Īlthough the words enfeeble and undermine have much in common, enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.Įnfeebled by starvation When might weaken be a better fit than undermine? The debilitating effects of surgery When could disable be used to replace undermine? An example of to undermine is a weak person on a team making the team lose a game. An example of to undermine is digging a space under a walkway for irrigation. While the synonyms debilitate and undermine are close in meaning, debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality. Undermine is defined as to dig beneath, weaken or injure. 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.Ĭrippled by arthritis When can debilitate be used instead of undermine? 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.ĭrugs had sapped his ability to think When is cripple a more appropriate choice than undermine? ![]() Some common synonyms of undermine are cripple, debilitate, disable, enfeeble, sap, and weaken. We must resist the urge to respond to anti-Muslim bigotry by going along with the censorious whims of some ‘Muslim community leaders’, chilling free expression and undermining social cohesion.Frequently Asked Questions About undermine How is the word undermine distinct from other similar verbs? “We urge the Government and public bodies not to join the rush to adopt this definition. He said: “If the Government adopts this definition it will restrict important discussion and debate and, as the criticism of senior officers shows, undermine the police’s ability to keep people safe. Undermine is generally used figuratively. Tips: To help you remember the definition for undermine, picture how mining under a structure would weaken its foundation. Synonyms: weaken, corrode, soften, impair, thwart, undercut, tunnel, wreck. “This shows a worrying trend of seeing British Muslims through the lens of terror and security, and the Prime Minister must distance herself from this immediately.”īut National Secular Society chief executive Stephen Evans called the definition “vague and unworkable”. Definition: to make something weaker, as if by tunneling under the foundation of a structure. She went on: “It has been a great struggle to get the police to record Islamophobia as a specific crime, so it is deeply worrying to see the National Police Chiefs’ Council bringing terrorism into the discussion about tackling Islamophobia. Shadow minister for women and equalities Naz Shah said if the Prime Minister rejects the definition, “the message she sends to the Muslim community will be heard loud and clear”. But we more often use the word to describe sabotage or the. “This is a matter that will need further careful consideration.” To undermine literally means to dig a hole underneath something, making it likely to collapse. ![]() “We are conscious that the APPG’s proposed definition has not been broadly accepted, unlike the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism before it, which was adopted by the UK Government and other international organisations and governments. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman declined to comment on the letter but said: “Any hatred directed against British Muslims and others because of their faith or heritage is completely unacceptable.
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