Skip to content

entorpecer

to hinder

verb en-tor-peh-SEHR Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Manner

Origin: From torpe (clumsy, slow) + the prefix en- and verbal suffix.

Also means

to slow down

Usage Note

Entorpecer means to obstruct or impede progress, making something slow or clumsy (entorpecer el tráfico = to impede traffic, entorpecer una investigación = to obstruct an investigation). It is a -cer verb and takes a spelling change to -zco in the first-person singular present (entorpezco). The root adjective torpe means clumsy or dim.

Examples

"El accidente entorpeció el tráfico durante horas."

Natural Translation

The accident hindered traffic for hours.

Explore Spanish by topic