1
Slow progress
Make advancement more difficult.
Example
Persistent fog hindered the rescue effort.
hinder
/ˈhɪndə/ · HIN-duhverb
To make progress or action difficult without necessarily preventing it.
Use hinder when the context supports this precise sense: to make progress or action difficult without necessarily preventing it.
What hinder Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Restrict performance
Reduce someone’s ability to act effectively.
Example
Outdated software hinders collaboration across offices.
3
Complicate understanding
Create an obstacle to interpretation.
Example
Inconsistent labels hinder comparison among the studies.
Use hinder Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Persistent fog hindered the rescue effort.
Outdated software hinders collaboration across offices.
Inconsistent labels hinder comparison among the studies.
Precision Matters
Hinder overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
hinder
vs.Means to make progress or action difficult without necessarily preventing it.
impede
Means to prevent, obstruct, or slow progress.
hinder
vs.Means to make progress or action difficult without necessarily preventing it.
preclude
Means to prevent something from happening or make it impossible.
hinder
vs.Means to make progress or action difficult without necessarily preventing it.
bolster
Means to support, strengthen, or reinforce.
hinder
vs.Means to make progress or action difficult without necessarily preventing it.
facilitate
Means make an action or process easier.
Test hinder in Context
The defect makes comparison harder without preventing it.
1
The missing labels do not make analysis impossible, but they substantially ___ efforts to compare the specimens.