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

Peace efforts to end Russia's 4½-year full-scale invasion have stalled, with the issue of territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine among the central sticking points. — Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026

Peace efforts to end Russia’s 4 1/2-year full-scale invasion have stalled, with the issue of territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine among the central sticking points. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

One source told Semafor the remaining sticking points include internal Senate politics, dynamics with the White House, and garnering support from the AI safety community — all big factors that could individually sink the effort. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Anyone could guess going into this album that Erykah’s sticking points are groupthink, conformity, and phone obsession. — Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 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