impedes
Gets in way
To impede is to slow down or obstruct progress.
Obstacles impede movement; bureaucracy impedes efficiency.
The word suggests hindrance rather than complete blockage—something impeded can still advance, just with difficulty: Heavy snow impeded rescue efforts.
Nothing impedes scientific progress like rigid thinking.
Prevent success of
- hamperObstruct or clothes basket
- hinderObstruct or delay
- inhibitTo restrain or hinder
- stymieTo obstruct or baffle
curtail · derail · deter · frustrate · foil · encumber · handicap · sabotage
Lacking in speed
- dragResistance through fluid
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- inertiaResistance to altered motion
lag · sluggish · retard · brake · decelerate · stall · delay · dawdle
Obstruction halting movement
- obstacleSomething blocking the way
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
- roadblockObstruction across a road
- bottleneckConstriction limiting throughput
hindrance · obstruction · dam · clog · jam · congestion · gridlock · chokepoint
thwart
Prevent success of
stymie · curtail · derail · deter · frustrate · foil · encumber · handicap · sabotage · undermine
slow
Lacking in speed
- dragResistance through fluid
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
inertia · lag · sluggish · retard · brake · decelerate · stall · delay · dawdle · crawl
blockage
Obstruction halting movement
- obstacleSomething blocking the way
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
- roadblockObstruction across a road
bottleneck · hindrance · obstruction · dam · clog · jam · congestion · gridlock · chokepoint · stumbling block
constrain
To limit or restrict
curtail · stifle · suppress · repress · throttle · choke · narrow · bind · shackle · clampdown
- speech impedimentDifficulty producing clear sounds
impede, impediment, impeding, impeded, unimpeded, impedance, impediments, impedimenta