hinder

[hin-der]

See more synonyms for hinder on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cause delay, interruption, or difficulty in; hamper; impede: The storm hindered our progress.
to prevent from doing, acting, or happening; stop: to hinder a man from committing a crime.

verb (used without object)

to be an obstacle or impediment.

Origin of hinder

before 1000; Middle English hindren, Old English hindrian “to hold back,” equivalent to hinder hinder² + -ian causative verb suffix

Related formshin·der·er, nounhin·der·ing·ly, adverbun·hin·dered, adjectiveun·hin·der·ing, adjectiveun·hin·der·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for hinder

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1. encumber, obstruct, trammel. 2. block, thwart.

Synonym study

2. See prevent.

Antonyms for hinder

1. encourage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hindering

obstruct, hamstring, retard, thwart, burden, prohibit, handicap, preclude, inhibit, cripple, deter, delay, impede, interfere, interrupt, curb, crimp, frustrate, hamper, block

Examples from the Web for hindering

Contemporary Examples of hindering

For some, age may be hindering—but for these ladies, age is just a number.
These Ladies May Be Old, But They Have More Style Than You
Erin Cunningham
April 29, 2014
In rural India, or rural Africa, the lack of access to banks is hindering development.
How Jeroo Billimoria Is Turning Poor Kids Into Savers
Daniel Gross
March 7, 2013
By concealing past mistakes, the nation may be hindering investigations, writes Christopher Dickey.
France Arrests the Usual Islamist Suspects
Christopher Dickey
April 4, 2012

Historical Examples of hindering

And why would I be ashamed that am telling no lies, and hindering no one?
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Then we must abstain from spoiling the dead or hindering their burial?
The Republic
Plato
However, there is one insignificant mistake that has been hindering us.
Mezzerow Loves Company
Floyd L. Wallace
She pondered on the circumstance for some time, looking into vacancy and hindering the play.
A Pair of Blue Eyes
Thomas Hardy
The sucking-fish of these men is their hindering corruption.
Theodoric the Goth
Thomas Hodgkin

British Dictionary definitions for hindering

hinder

verb

to be or get in the way of (someone or something); hamper
(tr) to prevent

Derived Formshinderer, nounhindering, adjective, noun

Word Origin for hinder

Old English hindrian; related to Old Norse hindra, Old High German hintarōn

hinder

adjective

(prenominal) situated at or further towards the back or rear; posteriorthe hinder parts

Word Origin for hinder

Old English; related to Old Norse hindri latter, Gothic hindar beyond, Old High German hintar behind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hindering

hinder

Old English hindrian "to harm, injure, impair, check, repress," from Proto-Germanic *hinderojanan (cf. Old Norse hindra, Dutch hinderen, Old High German hintaron, German hindern "to keep back"), from a root meaning "on that side of, behind" (cf. hind (adj.)); thus the ground sense is "to put or keep back," though this sense in English is recorded only from late 14c. Related: Hindered; hindering.

hinder

adj,

"situated in the rear, toward the back," late 14c., probably from Old English hinder (adv.) "behind, back, afterward," but treated as a comparative of hind (adj.). Related to Old High German hintar, German hinter, Gothic hindar "behind." Middle English had hinderhede, literally "hinder-hood; posterity in time, inferiority in rank;" and hinderling "person fallen from moral or social respectability, wretch."