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hindrance

hindrance

21 5.7
A thing that makes it difficult to do something, like an injury or traffic
  • noun
  • /ˈhɪndrəns/
translation icon : obstáculo
  • Traffic congestion can be a serious hindrance when trying to reach the airport on time.
  • a hindrance than a help
  • major hindrance
  • hindrance to development

In fact, it's a hindrance in your awakening.

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Examples

  • The principal tries to avoid hindrances and negative results by moving forward to the new and the unique.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Respondents were asked to identify possible hindrances to providing orientation and mobility instruction to public school students.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Large print may also be more of a hindrance than a help to them.

    Academic text (1995)
  • I wish I could help, but I can only be a hindrance.

  • It's still a major hindrance on finding my next career and where that's going to go.

  • They started seeing Mexican working class people as a hindrance to the economic development of their nation.

  • Communication was extremely difficult due to the lack of roads and the hindrance of big rivers and glaciers.

    Academic text (1995)
  • These are all things that are potentially hindrances to actually experiencing the spiritual.

  • On the eve of the Civil War, transportation was a significant hindrance to a thriving horticulture in Georgia.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Missionaries saw Samoan exchange customs as a major hindrance to their work.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

obstacle
vshindrance
343 3.4

A thing or problem that makes it hard to reach a goal

refers more generally to anything that makes progress harder
barrier
vshindrance
309 3.7

Something that stops or makes it hard to make progress

is the general idea of something that simply makes tasks more difficult
obstruction
vshindrance
222 4.8

Something that stops or slows progress and makes a task hard

creates difficulty for action rather than fully stopping it
check
vshindrance
218 3.4

Something that stops or controls another thing

means a general difficulty rather than an imposed formal limit
interference
vshindrance
183 4.1

Getting involved in a situation in a way that stops or slows progress

is the general notion of making things harder without involvement
deterrent
vshindrance
66 6.6

Something that makes people less likely to do something, often by fear of punishment

describes a hindering factor that makes action harder, not only discourages
impediment
vshindrance
51 7.0

Something that stops or slows progress

covers difficulty in general rather than only slowing or delaying
roadblock
vshindrance
50 3.9

A problem that stops progress or makes a goal hard to reach

is a more general source of difficulty rather than a strict stop
hitch
vshindrance
37 4.2

A small problem that causes a delay

covers any difficulty, often including more serious or lasting obstacles
stumbling block
vshindrance
18 4.4

A problem that stops progress or makes moving forward difficult

is a broader term for anything that simply makes progress harder
handicap
vshindrance
17 4.1

Something that makes it harder for someone to succeed or progress

focuses on making tasks harder rather than scoring disadvantage in rules
encumbrance
vshindrance
2 8.1

Something that makes life or an activity harder

is the simpler idea of something that just makes progress harder
thwarting
vshindrance
1 7.5

Stopping someone from doing what they planned

is about making action harder rather than deliberately stopping it
barrier to progress
vshindrance
1 3.9

Something that stops a project or work from moving forward

describes the same difficulty but can be less absolute
hinderance
vshindrance
7.1

Something that makes progress slow or difficult

makes doing something more difficult rather than directly preventing it
balk
vshindrance
  • US
8.2

Something that stops or slows progress

refers more broadly to anything that makes action more difficult
incumbrance
vshindrance
  • Archaic
9.9

Something that makes a task or journey harder

highlights difficulty in general rather than emphasizing burden or cost

Antonyms

947 1.0

Help given to someone that makes a task easier or gives money

facilitation
  • Formal
4 5.1

An action that makes a task easier so it runs more smoothly

How Obstructive

to blockade
9 6.0
barrier
163 2.8
hindrance
21 5.7
impediment
51 7.0
difficulty
651 2.4
inconvenience
107 4.3

Surface Forms

hindrance singular
hindrances plural

Morphology

hindrance = hinder (transparent) = hinder + ance

The word 'hindrance' is transparently derived from the verb 'hinder' with the addition of the suffix '-ance', indicating the state or quality of hindering.

Etymology

The word hindrance comes from the old English root hind, meaning 'back', the same root you see in behind and hinder. So a hindrance is something that 'holds you back' or makes it harder to do something.