noun
undoing
uhn-DOO-ihng
noun
1
The cause of someone's failure or ruin.
"His arrogance proved to be his undoing."
"Greed was the company's undoing."
2
The act of loosening or unfastening something.
"The undoing of the knot took several minutes."
How to Use Undoing
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWhatever causes someone's downfall — often used as "X was Y's undoing."
Common pairings
his undoing
prove someone's undoing
Word Forms
undoings plural
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His arrogance proved to be his _____.
Etymology
From Middle English undoinge, formed from undo plus the suffix -ing.