hurt your ability

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "hurt your ability" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing how certain actions or situations may negatively impact someone's skills or capabilities. Example: "Excessive stress can hurt your ability to concentrate and perform well at work."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

"It could be your line of business has been restructured, and it's hurt your ability to do your job".

The New York Times

This technological infrastructure is also available to your established competitors or new startups, who may beat you to the punch for offering these new services or revenue streams and hurt your ability to compete.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This could hurt your ability to compete in the country where this distributor was sanctioned, and in other countries, like the US, that have strict foreign anti-bribery laws.

BBC

Said another way: When it comes to company culture, talking the talk without walking the walk will hurt your ability to recruit talented candidates — and keep them around once you do.

Forbes

When you make allowances and ignore your values when you make decisions or interact with customers or employees, you lose credibility and ultimately hurt your ability to do business.

Forbes

At a lot of the mainstream business press publications, young reporters are assigned to a big company exclusively like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Snapchat, etc. It's obvious that, if you're covering that company as your primary job responsibility, you want to know what's going on and it's going to hurt your ability to do your job to start criticizing that company.

Forbes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

Is it hurting your ability to save for retirement?

The New York Times

"It hurts your ability to influence legislation when it really matters.

The New Yorker

In an effort to enhance your ability to serve difficult customers, you're hurting your ability to serve all of your customers.

The Washington Post

"This hurts your ability to research legislation as fully as you would want to," said Ed Welch, staff director of the Merchant Marine Committee.

The New York Times

Having too much inventory is wasteful, while having too little hurts your ability to fulfill orders.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "hurt your ability", ensure the context clearly specifies what is causing the negative impact and the specific skill or capacity being affected for maximum clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "hurt your ability" without specifying the cause; otherwise, the statement lacks informative value. Instead of saying, "That will hurt your ability", specify, "Excessive screen time will hurt your ability to focus".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hurt your ability" functions as a verb phrase expressing a negative impact on someone's capacity or skill. It is typically used to describe how a particular action, situation, or condition can diminish one's competence or potential as demonstrated by Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Wiki

31%

Academia

9%

Less common in

Formal & Business

9%

Science

3%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "hurt your ability" is a grammatically sound and commonly used expression to describe the negative impact on someone's skill or capacity. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability. Its frequent appearance in News & Media and Wiki sources, coupled with its presence in academic and business contexts, indicates its versatility. When using the phrase, ensure clarity by specifying both the cause and the affected ability. Consider alternatives like "impair your capacity" or "diminish your competence" for nuanced expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

impair your capacity

Replaces "hurt" with "impair" and "ability" with "capacity", suggesting a weakening or damaging effect.

diminish your competence

Substitutes "hurt" with "diminish" and "ability" with "competence", indicating a reduction in skill or effectiveness.

weaken your aptitude

Replaces "hurt" with "weaken" and "ability" with "aptitude", suggesting a reduction in natural talent or skill.

hamper your potential

Substitutes "hurt" with "hamper" and "ability" with "potential", indicating an obstruction to future capabilities.

hinder your proficiency

Replaces "hurt" with "hinder" and "ability" with "proficiency", suggesting an impediment to skilled performance.

compromise your skill

Substitutes "ability" with "skill" and "hurt" with "compromise", suggesting a detrimental effect on specific skills.

undermine your talent

Replaces "hurt" with "undermine" and "ability" with "talent", indicating a gradual weakening of inherent capabilities.

cripple your effectiveness

Substitutes "hurt" with "cripple" and "ability" with "effectiveness", suggesting a severe impact on overall performance.

damage your capacity

Replaces "hurt" with "damage" and "ability" with "capacity", suggesting a physical or structural harm to capabilities.

lessen your capability

Replaces "hurt" with "lessen" and "ability" with "capability", indicating a reduction in overall capacity.

FAQs

What does "hurt your ability" mean?

The phrase "hurt your ability" means to negatively impact or reduce someone's capacity or skill in a particular area. It suggests that something is hindering their performance or potential.

What can I say instead of "hurt your ability"?

You can use alternatives like "impair your capacity", "diminish your competence", or "weaken your aptitude" depending on the context.

How can I use "hurt your ability" in a sentence?

You can use "hurt your ability" in a sentence to describe how something negatively affects a skill or capacity. For example, "Lack of sleep can hurt your ability to concentrate" or "Stress can hurt your ability to make good decisions".

Is there a difference between "hurt your ability" and "affect your ability"?

"Hurt your ability" specifically implies a negative impact. "Affect your ability" is more neutral and simply means to have an influence, which could be positive or negative. It's important to choose the phrase that accurately reflects the intended meaning.