destabilize
/diːˈsteɪb(ə)lʌɪz
/(also destabilise)
verb [with object]
Upset the stability of (a region or system); cause unrest or instability in: the accused were charged with conspiracy to destabilize the country the discovery of an affair can destabilize a relationship (as adjective destabilizing) a destabilizing effect on the stock market...
- The relationship has come to dominate British debates affecting domestic and foreign issues and has destabilized both Labour and Conservative parties.
- We have a Presidency, an executive power, which cannot be destabilized by a parliamentary destabilization.
- Nothing destabilizes paramilitaries more than democracy and the people having choice.
Synonyms
undermine, weaken, impair, damage, subvert, sabotage, unsettle, upset, disrupt, wreck, ruin