4 uses
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Definition
weaken gradually
- Ethel was a short, heavyset woman with an ageless, blocky strength; yet her physical power was undermined by a slow mind and a brutal lack of confidence.p. 191.8
- Perhaps my cousins were all relieved to hear that Owen was "getting over a cold" because they thought this might partially explain the hypnotic awfulness of Owen's voice; I could have told them that Owen's voice was uninfluenced by his having a cold—and his "getting over a cold" was news to me—but I was so relieved to see my cousins behaving respectfully that I had no desire to undermine Owen's effect on them.p. 74.2
- Mary Beth Baird looked quite lush—like a slightly plump starlet—in her white raiment; but both the Holy Mother effect, and the Holy Virgin effect, were undermined by her long, rakish pigtail.p. 217.2
- Grandmother developed such contempt for Ethel—and for Ethel's inept replacements—that she plotted with considerable cunning to undermine what she regarded as the already woefully inadequate abilities of her serving women.p. 524.6
There are no more uses of "undermine" in A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Typical Usage
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