obstacle

noun

ob·​sta·​cle ˈäb-sti-kəl 

-ˌsti-

: something that impedes progress or achievement

Mosquitoes were a great obstacle to the building of the Panama Canal.

… elders … often facing daily medical, social, and psychological obstacles.

—Vicki Bloom and B. B. Green-Field

Synonyms

• balk
• bar
• block
• chain
• clog
• cramp
• crimp
• deterrent
• drag
• embarrassment
• encumbrance
• fetter
• handicap
• hindrance
• holdback
• hurdle
• impediment
• inhibition
• interference
• let
• manacle
• obstruction
• shackles
• stop
• stumbling block
• trammel

Examples of obstacle in a Sentence

He overcame the obstacles of poverty and neglect.

They must overcome a number of obstacles before the restaurant can be opened.

Lack of experience is a major obstacle for her opponent.

She swerved to avoid an obstacle in the road.

Recent Examples on the Web

Rather than replace the free-for-all with a streamlined review process, restaurants seeking approval for new sheds hit delay after delay, bureaucratic obstacle after bureaucratic obstacle. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2025

Unlike clumsier species that struggle with obstacles, the black mamba leverages every surface with surgical precision, effectively turning the landscape into a series of launchpads. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025

And yes, teenagers in love often find ways around obstacles. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

My challenges and my obstacles and my difficulties are actually divine curriculum. —Delano Massey, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin obstaculum, from obstare to stand in front of, from ob- in the way + stare to stand — more at ob-, stand

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing obstacle

• obstacle course
• obstacle race

Kids Definition

obstacle

noun

ob·​sta·​cle ˈäb-sti-kəl 

: something that stands in the way of progress or achievement : hindrance

drove around the obstacles in the road

didn't let shortness be an obstacle to a basketball career