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undermine certainty

[ˌʌndərˈmaɪn ˈsɜrtnti]
verb phrase
minar a certeza
1. to weaken, damage, or gradually destroy someone's confidence or conviction about something
Recent discoveries undermine certainty about the ancient civilization's origins.
Descobertas recentes minam a certeza sobre as origens da civilização antiga.
2. to cast doubt upon or reduce the reliability of established beliefs or facts
The witness's testimony was designed to undermine certainty in the defendant's guilt.
O testemunho da testemunha foi projetado para minar a certeza da culpa do réu.
Synonyms
weakenerodesubvertquestioncast doubt onshake confidencediminish confidence
Antonyms
reinforcestrengthenconfirmvalidateestablishsolidify

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
minar a certeza
most commonly used
São Paulo
abalar a certeza
alternative usage
Portugal
minar a certeza
standard usage, same as Brazilian

Related Idioms & Phrases

cast doubt on
pull the rug out from under
shake one's confidence
throw a wrench in the works
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