Definitions
- Describing an action taken to stop something from happening. - Referring to measures taken to keep something from occurring or to avoid a negative outcome. - Talking about steps taken to hinder the progress of a disease or illness.
- Referring to an obstacle that slows down or obstructs progress. - Describing a situation where something is making it difficult to achieve a goal or objective. - Talking about a barrier that hinders the movement or flow of something.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words describe actions that hinder or stop something from happening.
- 2Both words can be used in the context of obstacles or barriers.
- 3Both words can be used to describe situations where progress is slowed down or stopped.
What is the difference?
- 1Meaning: Prevent means to stop something from happening, while impede means to slow down or obstruct progress.
- 2Intention: Prevent is proactive and aims to avoid negative outcomes, while impede is reactive and describes a situation where progress is hindered.
- 3Usage: Prevent is more commonly used in everyday language, while impede is more formal and less commonly used.
- 4Connotation: Prevent has a positive connotation as it implies taking action to avoid negative outcomes, while impede has a negative connotation as it implies slowing down or obstructing progress.
- 5Intensity: Prevent is a stronger word than impede as it implies stopping something from happening altogether, while impede implies slowing down or making progress more difficult.
Remember this!
Prevent and impede are both verbs that describe actions that hinder or stop something from happening. However, the difference between them lies in their meaning, intention, usage, connotation, and intensity. Prevent is proactive and aims to avoid negative outcomes, while impede is reactive and describes a situation where progress is hindered or slowed down.
