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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
undoing
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ If you fall into this trap, it will be your own doing - and your undoing.
▪ It was not until March in 1782 that the brothers made the error that was the beginning of their undoing.
▪ Like Samson, the secret of her strength was her undoing.
▪ Such confidence was to be their undoing, and that of the Elves.
▪ The knots took some undoing and then finally an impatient Adam tore off the string before slowly removing the muslin.
▪ Top weight and soft ground proved his undoing but he ran an absolute cracker to finish third to Sibton Abbey.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Undoing

Undoing \Un*do"ing\, n.

  1. The reversal of what has been done.

  2. Ruin. ``The utter undoing of some.''
    --Hooker.

Wiktionary
undoing

n. That which defeats. vb. (present participle of undo English)

WordNet
undoing
  1. n. an act that makes a previous act of no effect (as if not done)

  2. loosening the ties that fasten something; "the tying of bow ties is an art; the untying is easy" [syn: untying, unfastening]

Wikipedia
Undoing (psychology)

Undoing is a defense mechanism in which a person tries to 'undo' an unhealthy, destructive or otherwise threatening thought or action by engaging in contrary behavior. For example, after thinking about being violent with someone, one would then be overly nice or accommodating to them. It is one of several defense mechanisms proposed by the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud during his career, many of which were later developed further by his daughter Anna Freud. The German term "Ungeschehenmachen" was first used to describe this defense mechanism. When translated, it literally means "making un-happen,” which is essentially the core of “undoing.” Undoing refers to the phenomenon whereby a person tries to alter the past in some way to avoid or feign disappearance of an adversity or mishap. (Laplanche and Pontalis, 1973)

Undoing

Undoing may refer to:

  • Undoing (psychology)
  • Undoing (film)
  • The Undoing, music album
Undoing (film)

Undoing is a 2006 neo-noir drama film directed by Chris Chan Lee. The film is set in the streets of Los Angeles' Koreatown and follows the story of Samuel Kim who returns after a mysterious one-year absence to find redemption from his past. Undoing stars Sung Kang, Tom Bower, Russell Wong, Kelly Hu, Jose Zuniga, Leonardo Nam and Bobby Lee.

Usage examples of "undoing".

Social condemnation should stigmatize the wrong of mismating, not the undoing of such a wrong.

He had never made her a single present and even her ring was found to be brass and therefore neither valid nor binding: whereas the present Jack had given her long ago yet not so very long ago neither was close to her heart at this very moment: she had put on a new pinner for the occasion, and now undoing it she leant over the table, showing him the diamond pendant he had bought for her in the year two, one of the many charming fruits of a valuable prize, nestling low in her bosom.

In dry clothes and in good spirits, Jim and George turned their teams onto Scroggy Creek Road, a notorious ninety-mile stretch of trail that has been the undoing of many a Quest team.

You should not have sent me, Shool, for I did not fail and it resulted in your undoing.

She begari undoing the long row of buttons down the front of her coveralls and shrugged out of the garment, then unfastened and stepped out of her underwear.

Sorry, guys, but how about if our landlord Copes came in to fix some pipes, started undoing this magical tape and left his fingerprint on it.

Brianna patted her hair, frowning, then pulled off the ribbon and began to comb her fingers slowly through it, undoing the tangles as a preliminary to brushing it.

He recalled undoing all the tiny buttons and fancy geegaws as she sat upon his knees, hindering him by pressing teasing little kisses all over his face.

Mrs Verloc, undoing some hooks of her bodice, while she went on staring ahead beyond the splashboard, handed over to him the new pigskin pocket-book.

Elaine de Frey and her fortune might have been the making of Comus, but he had hurried in as usual to effect his own undoing.

She saw how she had wrought her own undoing by consenting to accept the perfidious role imposed upon her by her father, and how she, herself, had paved the way for the falsehoods, slander, crimes and misfortunes of which she had been the victim.

After a few seconds she felt gentle hands undoing her wrist restraints, the movements accompanied by soft tuneless humming.

Caralie actually wanted to bundle Kaycee into her arms, hug her tightly against her heart and never let her go, but she knew it would be her undoing.

Up the stairs she paused to run the bath, down the hall undoing her blouse with the worn address book still tight in her hand she'd barely lit the bedroom and slipped off her shoes, barely come down among the papers on the bed bent over the last of them, the cool, grey calm of his eyes belying.

Long masculine fingers began undoing the buttons on the shirt she had borrowed.