undergoing

Undergoing is the present participle form of the verb undergo. It denotes the experience or endurance of a process, event, or change initiated by external conditions or deliberate action. The term is commonly used to describe medical procedures (undergoing surgery or treatment), inspections or reviews (undergoing audits or reforms), and broader transformations (undergoing changes or developments). The nuance is that the subject is passively subjected to something rather than actively initiating it.

Grammatically, undergo is transitive and takes a direct object representing what is experienced or endured: someone undergoing chemotherapy, a routine check, or renovations. The progressive form “is undergoing” emphasizes ongoing action. Related forms include underwent (simple past) and undergone (past participle). The gerund or verbal noun form undergoing can appear in sentences like “The undergoing of treatment was lengthy,” though it is less common in everyday usage.

Etymology traces undergoing to the combination of under- and go, with roots in Old English and early Middle English, historically implying the act of going under or passing through a process. In modern English, the sense has broadened to experiences or processes that a person or entity endures or experiences.

Usage notes: undergoing is relatively formal and is often preferred in clinical, administrative, or formal reporting contexts over more colloquial alternatives such as “going through.” It conveys a sense of circumstance imposed or endured rather than a voluntary or active pursuit. See also go through, experience, endure.