sabotage · noun — A deliberate action aimed at weakening someone (or something, a nation, etc) or preventing them from being successful, through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction. It carries an Arena rating of 1792, earned across 69 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sabotage ranks #119 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #532 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #635 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,503 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words.
sabotage is pronounced /ˈsæ.bəˌtɑːʒ/.
Why “sabotage” is a great word
SABOTAGE — [Noun, Verb] A deliberate action aimed at weakening or preventing the success of an endeavor through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. From the French sabotage, from saboter ("to bungle, botch, wreck"), from sabot ("wooden shoe"). The term entered English in the early 20th century (attested 1907) with reference to malicious damage by workers. Unlike vandalism, which implies a wanton and often aimless defacement, or subversion, which suggests a slower, ideological corrosion, sabotage is a targeted tactical strike. It is the thrown clog in the mill's gears, the single grain of sugar in the fuel tank, the anonymous wrench dropped at the critical hour—a testament to the small, violent physics of collapse.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French sabotage.
noun
- A deliberate action aimed at weakening someone (or something, a nation, etc) or preventing them from being successful, through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction.
verb
- To deliberately destroy or damage something in order to prevent it from being successful.e.g.“The railway line had been sabotaged by enemy commandos.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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