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undermine

verb/ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/

B1CEFR level
15/100Rarity: common
NeutralRegister

To gradually weaken or damage something, often secretly.

Constant public criticism began to undermine the coach's authority.

Similar: weaken, erode, sabotage

Topic: Cambridge C1 (part 2) in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Cambridge C1 (part 2)