Word
obstacle
Phoneticsob·sta·cle
US/ˈɑbstəkəɫ/
UK/ˈɒbstəkəl/
Definition
n. something that blocks your path or makes it difficult for you to reach a goal.
n. a thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress. Often used metaphorically to describe social or psychological barriers.
Examples
“The fallen tree was a major obstacle on the road.”
“Lack of funding proved to be the biggest obstacle to starting the new community garden.”
“The legal team worked tirelessly to overcome every bureaucratic obstacle that the opposing counsel placed in their path during the merger negotiations.”
Examples
simple
“The fallen tree was a major obstacle on the road.”
contextual
“Lack of funding proved to be the biggest obstacle to starting the new community garden.”
complex
“The legal team worked tirelessly to overcome every bureaucratic obstacle that the opposing counsel placed in their path during the merger negotiations.”
Usage
Commonly used with the verbs 'overcome', 'encounter', or 'remove'.
Real-World Examples
Common in science writing
“Kittle's research positions MLLs' home languages as a vital asset in their education rather than an obstacle.” “These are obstacle courses, really, where enemies aren’t so much a threat as they are something to be hurdled – or better yet, avoided.” “Achieving these two effects at once had been a major technical obstacle.” Etymology
From Middle English obstacle, from Old French obstacle, from Latin obstāculum.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/obstacle