OBSTACLE Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

obstacle

noun

ˈäb-sti-kəl

Definition of obstacle

as in hurdle

something that makes movement or progress difficult stumbling on all the obstacles along the path

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of obstacle Whether the property is old or new, the main obstacle is often a financial one. — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 If authority, accountability and risk exposure are misaligned across the executive team, execution will stall the moment the first obstacle appears. — Susana Cabrera, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 One Gachon University Graduate School team, for example, focused on an obstacle-running application, exploring how a humanoid could execute movements while dealing with obstacles in its path. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026 Initially treated almost as an afterthought, Bonta’s antitrust lawsuit has become a major obstacle to Ellison’s ambitions and a source of neck-bulging outrage among Ellison’s supporters. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for obstacle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstacle

Noun

But Oxley, writing in a commentary, cautioned that there are logistical hurdles and said the value of Venezuela’s reserves may have been exaggerated under former President Hugo Chavez.

— Collin Binkley, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Secondly, insurance and safety inspections remain critical hurdles.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of hurdle

Noun

Investigators accused him of obstruction of justice, unlawful contracting and, among other things, claiming $127,630 in expenses linked to fictitious missions and plane tickets for nearly a dozen trips.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
The prosecutor, Matthew Evans, was fired on Thursday and is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe, the person said.

— Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of obstruction

Noun

He’s particularly drawn to episodes that are discomforting for his countrymen—the Dreyfus Affair, and, a recent obsession, French accommodation in Nazi rule during the Occupation, a national embarrassment that was long passed over in silence.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Just the latest embarrassment from the worst president in any of our lifetimes.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of embarrassment

Browse Nearby Words

obsoleteness

obstacle

obstacles

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“Obstacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstacle. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of obstacle

noun

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