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

• hurdle
• obstruction
• embarrassment
• barrier

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

Working with the local council, emergency services and Transport for London, plans for an extra 10,000 (possibly more) people to safely arrive and leave the area are a considerable obstacle. —Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

The only safe bet for next season is that these two will face some new, fresh traumatic obstacles. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025

One is perseverance, or the ability to power through the inevitable obstacles and setbacks that come with running a business, says Hemmati, co-founder of ZenBusiness, an artificial intelligence software startup that works to help first-time entrepreneurs navigate regulatory processes. —Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025

The obstacles in Eve’s way to get Three Rock back up and running will surprise you. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Oct. 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