sticking point

noun

: an item (as in negotiations) resulting or likely to result in an impasse

Examples of sticking point in a Sentence

The length of the contract has become a sticking point in the negotiations.

Recent Examples on the Web

The one-page US proposal sought to declare an end to the war while triggering a 30-day negotiation period to resolve sticking points, including on nuclear issues, frozen Iranian assets and security in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a regional source familiar with the negotiations. —Jennifer Hansler, CNN Money, 7 May 2026

Those two issues were sticking points in an ultimately successful effort to approve construction of a men’s prison. —Makenzie Huber, States Newsroom, 24 Mar. 2026

Money isn’t the only sticking point holding up a potential settlement with the Oakland diocese. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2026

Meanwhile, more profound changes, such as acknowledging ethnic identity, indigenous status or territorial control, have been sticking points between Kurds and the central government. —Lily Hindy, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1732, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sticking point

• counterpoint
• disappoint
• multipoint
• needlepoint
• reappoint
• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint