undoing Hear it!

undoing Definition

un·do·ing (un do̵̅o̅′iŋ)

noun

  1. the act of opening, untying, etc.
  2. a reversal of the doing of something done or accomplished; canceling or annulling
  3. the act of bringing to ruin, disgrace, or destruction
  4. the cause or source of ruin, disgrace, or destruction

  • undomestic
  • undomesticated
undoing Synonyms

undoing

n.

  1. Ruin

    ruination, downfall, doom, reversal, destruction, misfortune, calamity, overthrow, collapse, trouble, grief, catastrophe, defeat, perdition, shipwreck, smash, wrack, subversion, discomfiture, collapse.

    Antonyms success*, accomplishment, achievement.

  2. The cause of ruin

    casualty, accident, mishap, misadventure, misstep, faux pas (French), bad hap, catastrophe, mischance, bad luck, adversity, reverse, blow, trial, affliction, visitation, stroke of fate, slip, blunder, fault, omission, difficulty, failure, error, miscalculation, trip, stumble, fumble, blunder, repulse, discouragement, death-blow, last straw, death knell.

    Antonyms advantage*, good omen, godsend.

undoing Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • prove: This will prove the undoing of the would-be white heir.
  • spend: When New Labor was elected many people believed that their time in Government will be spent undoing the damage left by the last Government.
  • involve: Given this involves undoing the evangelists ' editing the results are speculative to say the least.
  • require: It was a done deal and one that required the undoing of lots of other deals in turn.
  • risk: From this clash of positions has emerged a threat to the peace process that risks undoing the advances of the last decade.
  • start: Then he moves back and starts undoing his tie.

Converse of subject

  • remove: The fuse carriers are removed by undoing the small screw.

Adjective modifier

  • own: A plum from one of these trees was my own undoing three years ago.
  • ultimate: Luckily the very wickedness of these cartoon figures contained the seeds of their ultimate undoing.
  • eventual: ITV Digital agreed to pay the Football League £ 315m for these matches in a three-year deal that was its eventual undoing.
  • utter: The stay of my writings hath been my utter undoing.
  • great: But the biggest worry is that the great benefit of the open-source approach is also its great undoing.
  • complete: Death is the final insult, the twenty-first century man or woman's complete undoing.

Modifies a noun

  • bolt: Most involve undoing bolts at the back of the washing machine and removing brackets and various packaging.
  • mistake: Editing your Registry settings is not for the faint-hearted, because there is no undoing mistakes.
  • everything: He seems intent on undoing everything Jeff Burnige has done, with the possible exception of the sales of Ward and Ifill.

Noun used with modifier

  • self: Note how I leave out the fact that Saturn is posited in the house of self undoing.
  • risk: This risks undoing much of the good work that has been achieved in recent years in curbing state subsidies.
  • hand: On rail, he has been dealt a difficult hand undoing the mess created by his two immediate predecessors without saying as much.

Possessives

  • vivisection: Dr. James Le Fanu, ' In sickness and in health: vivisection's undoing ' , Daily Telegraph, 23 November 2003.
undoing Quotes

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined bya hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall payany price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.

—Kennedy,John F(itzgerald)