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undoing

undoing

1 4.6
An action of loosening knots or ribbons that were tied
  • noun
  • /ʌnˈduːɪŋ/
: desatar
  • After hours of work, she finally succeeded in undoing the tightly knotted rope.

And at the moment, bacteria are better at undoing knots than humans are.

Examples

  • It means that sin intends death, intends non-being, and is self-undoing.

    Academic text (1990)
  • And at the moment, bacteria are better at undoing knots than humans are.

  • "The doing is the way something begins," the old man explained, "and the undoing is the way it ends."

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Singing and wasting your breath can be the same thing," wrote Catherine Clement in Opera, or the Undoing of Women.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The acts of "undoing" and "unlayering" are, on one level, simply necessary for disrobing the patient for a proper physical exam; that a nurse accompanies the oncologist also softens the image somehow.

    Academic text (2014)
  • He carefully began the undoing of the laces on his shoes before walking on the sand.

  • The sailor spoke about the undoing of the rigging that held the sails in place.

Synonyms

uncoupling
vsundoing
1 5.0

Separating things that were joined before, for example train cars

is about loosening ties or bindings rather than broad separations
untying
vsundoing
1 2.1

Making a knot or tie loose so you can open it

applies to loosening ties or bindings generally not only knot cases
untangling
vsundoing
1 4.1

A way of freeing things and ideas from knots, like wires or thoughts

focuses on loosening ties or bindings rather than releasing knots or tangles
unfastening
vsundoing
1 3.5

Loosening something that is tied or fixed

focuses specifically on loosening ties or bindings rather than other separations
unsnarling
vsundoing
8.1

Removing knots from something like a chain or hair

is about loosening simple bindings rather than solving snarled messes

Antonyms

15 3.9

A strip of cloth or material that covers and holds the edge of something

2 3.9

A thing that holds two parts together so they stay secure

How Loose

undoing
1 4.6
loosening
4 3.4
slackening
1 5.6

Surface Forms

undoing singular
undoings plural

Morphology

undoing = undo (transparent) = un + do + ing

Derived from 'undo' + '-ing' with the specific sense 'unfastening' which is a common meaning of 'undo'.

Etymology

Undoing comes from un- 'reverse' and do 'to act'. Think of untying a knot by doing the opposite of tying, and you will see why undoing can mean unfastening or loosening ties.