weaken itself

[ˈwiːkən ɪtˈsɛlf]
verb phrase
enfraquecerse a si mesmo
1. to become less strong, powerful, or effective through one's own actions or inaction
The company will weaken itself if it continues to ignore market trends.
A empresa se enfraquecerá a si mesma se continuar ignorando as tendências de mercado.
2. to undermine one's own position, authority, or capabilities
The politician weakened itself by making contradictory statements.
O político se enfraqueceu ao fazer afirmações contraditórias.
3. to diminish one's strength, resolve, or determination through self-imposed limitations
The team weakened itself by not investing in training.
O time se enfraqueceu por não investir em treinamento.
This phrase is commonly used in Brazilian business, political, and sports contexts to describe self-sabotage or strategic errors. In American English, it's frequently employed in corporate and political discourse to criticize poor decision-making or lack of foresight.
NYC Slang
shoot oneself in the foot; tank oneself
Synonyms / Sinônimos
diminish itselfundermine itselfsabotage itselfcompromise itselfenfraquecer-se
Antonyms / Antônimos
strengthen itselffortify itselfreinforce itselffortalecer-se

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
enfraquecerse a si mesmo; enfraquecerse
most common usage in standard Brazilian Portuguese
Rio de Janeiro
se enfraquecer
conversational form, dropping 'a si mesmo' in informal speech
São Paulo
enfraquecerse a si mesmo
formal business and academic contexts
Portugal
enfraquecer-se a si próprio
uses 'próprio' instead of 'mesmo' in European Portuguese

Related Words

weakenweaknessweakeningweakerdebilitatedeteriorate

Related Idioms & Phrases

cut off one's nose to spite one's face
dig one's own grave
shoot oneself in the foot
cavar a própria sepultura
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