became undermined

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "became undermined" is not correct in standard written English.
It is typically used incorrectly as "undermined" is a past participle and does not fit with "became," which suggests a change of state. Example: "The project's credibility became undermined after the scandal was revealed."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

G's magnificent meals Mirande's constitution became undermined and led to his demise.

The New Yorker

But Ms. Maddow explains how this last restraint became undermined when a "skittish and unsure" President Clinton was faced with Bosnia and the use of private contractors became a form of damage control.

The New York Times - Books

Railways and, later, cars and aeroplanes, collapsed distance and time, and old ideas of locality became undermined Old ideas of authority and order were also demolished as we entered the Age of Enlightenment.

The Guardian - Arts

Once Boris N. Yeltsin was returned by a popular vote to the presidency of Russia, the Soviet Union and Gorbachev, who had never been democratically elected to its presidency, became undermined.

The New York Times - Books

After three years of operation, the committee's role became undermined, with restricted funding identified as the main coercive factor for this SAMU [ 15].

BMC Health Services Research

In addition, their self-confidence gradually became undermined in public, at work and in social situations, which in part was attributed to the unpredictability of the illness course.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

As ecosystems become degraded, their capacity to deliver such services become undermined (Favretto et al. 2016).

Pastoralism

But with politicians legislating for decryption on demand the legality of e2e encryption becomes undermined — and its usage imperiled.

TechCrunch

However, its capacity to deliver these services has become undermined as vegetation cover has changed both qualitatively and quantitatively over the past four decades as a consequence of natural and human factors.

Pastoralism

A broad social science literature challenges the perceived objectivity of indicators and suggests that, once an indicator is defined, then both value and validity rapidly becomes undermined because human ingenuity finds new ways of manipulating and controlling the data which constitute the indicator (Davis et al. 2012; Espeland and Sauder 2007; Espeland and Stevens 2014; Merry 2011).

Pastoralism

Especially when it comes to life's basics needs, such as finding ways to make food more plentiful and less expensive, if scientific facts become undermined for political expediency, the most vulnerable people among us will lose.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing how something lost its strength or effectiveness, prefer using passive voice constructions like "was undermined" or active constructions like "became weaker". These are grammatically sound and widely accepted.

Common error

The phrase "became undermined" can sound awkward. Using "was undermined" is often a clearer and more grammatically correct way to express that something's strength or stability decreased.

Linguistic Context

The phrase functions as a predicate adjective describing a state of decline or weakening. However, Ludwig AI indicates that the phrase is not grammatically correct, suggesting that "undermined" does not fit well with "became". This differs from phrases like 'became stronger' or 'became weaker', where the adjective directly describes the state.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

50%

Encyclopedias

17%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Social Media

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "became undermined" appears in various sources, Ludwig AI flags it as grammatically incorrect. This is because "undermined" is a past participle, and its combination with "became" can sound awkward. While it's used across news, science and encyclopedic contexts, opting for alternatives such as "was undermined", "became weaker", or "suffered erosion" can enhance clarity and grammatical correctness. Therefore, consider the context and choose the most appropriate and grammatically sound option for your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was undermined

Changes the tense and removes the 'became', resulting in a grammatically correct passive voice construction.

got weaker

Replaces 'undermined' with a simpler synonym, 'weaker', and uses 'got' to indicate a change of state.

became weakened

Uses 'weakened' instead of 'undermined', providing a grammatically sound alternative with similar meaning.

suffered erosion

Employs 'suffered erosion' to denote a gradual decline or weakening, suggesting a loss of strength or effectiveness.

experienced decline

Uses 'experienced decline' to indicate a gradual reduction in quality or strength.

lost its strength

Expresses the loss of power or effectiveness directly, using simpler vocabulary.

was compromised

Replaces 'undermined' with 'compromised', indicating a reduction in quality or effectiveness due to external factors.

deteriorated

Uses 'deteriorated' to show a gradual decline in condition or quality.

became less effective

Provides a straightforward explanation of reduced effectiveness, avoiding the problematic original phrase.

had its foundation shaken

Figuratively describes the undermining as a shaking of the foundation, emphasizing instability.

FAQs

How can I use "became undermined" correctly in a sentence?

While "became undermined" isn't standard, consider rephrasing with alternatives like "was undermined" or "became weaker" for better clarity.

What are some alternatives to "became undermined"?

Instead of "became undermined", you can use phrases such as "was compromised", "experienced decline", or "lost its strength", depending on the context.

Is it better to say "became undermined" or "was undermined"?

"Was undermined" is generally preferred as it uses the passive voice correctly. "Became undermined" is often considered grammatically awkward.

What's the difference between "became undermined" and "became weakened"?

While both describe a reduction in strength, "became weakened" is grammatically sound, while "became undermined" is not. "Weakened" is a more direct adjective, while "undermined" requires a passive construction.