minare

to undermine

verb mee-NAH-reh Rare

Also means

to mine

Usage Note

Minare takes avere and has two senses: literally, to plant mines (explosives) in an area (minare un campo = to mine a field); figuratively, to undermine or erode something (minare la fiducia = to undermine trust). The figurative sense is far more frequent in contemporary Italian. The related noun mina means a mine (explosive) or a pencil lead. Do not confuse with minacciare (to threaten).

Examples

"Lo scandalo ha minato la sua reputazione."

Natural Translation

The scandal undermined his reputation.

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