impediment

noun

im·​ped·​i·​ment im-ˈpe-də-mənt 

1

: something that impedes

especially : an impairment (such as a stutter or a lisp) that interferes with the proper articulation of speech

2

: a bar or hindrance (such as lack of sufficient age) to a lawful marriage

Did you know?

Impediment comes from a Latin verb that meant "to interfere with" or "to get in the way of progress", as if by tripping up the feet of someone walking. In English, impediment still suggests an obstruction or obstacle along a path; for example, a lack of adequate roads and bridges would be called an impediment to economic development. Impediments usually get in the way of something we want. So we may speak of an impediment to communication, marriage, or progress--but something that slows the progress of aging, disease, or decay is rarely called an impediment.

Synonyms

• balk
• bar
• block
• chain
• clog
• cramp
• crimp
• deterrent
• drag
• embarrassment
• encumbrance
• fetter
• handicap
• hindrance
• holdback
• hurdle
• inhibition
• interference
• let
• manacle
• obstacle
• obstruction
• shackles
• stop
• stumbling block
• trammel

Examples of impediment in a Sentence

tough going for the burros on the canyon trail, even without the added impediment of heavy loads

Recent Examples on the Web

Voters said as much when asked by ABC News if the war is an impediment to their support for the president. —Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024

Fourth, Israel’s failure to address Palestinian grievances equitably, an issue that had always been an impediment to normalization with Saudi Arabia, has now become an even more formidable one. —Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024

Driving range anxiety is still an impediment, along with cost. —Alexa St. John, Matthew Daly and Joshua A. Bickel, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024

The Chinese ACMDs Problem ACMDs are a recognized as a serious global problem and major impediment to robust international trade and domestic competition. —Alden Abbott, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Chuck Schumer’s Speech: Speaking to the U.S. Senate, the majority leader and highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States branded Netanyahu as a major impediment to peace. —Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Industry groups have long viewed the 1973 Endangered Species Act as an impediment. —Matthew Brown, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024

In all the cities, the biggest impediment to the migrants achieving self-sufficiency has been their inability to secure steady jobs without employment authorization, a permit that gives them the legal right to work in the United States. —Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024

Henry has served haplessly in the job ever since, lately citing—with some justification—widespread instability in the capital as the main impediment to holding new national elections. —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing impediment

• speech impediment

Kids Definition

impediment

noun

im·​ped·​i·​ment im-ˈped-ə-mənt 

1

: something that impedes

2

: a defect in speech

Medical Definition

impediment

noun

im·​ped·​i·​ment im-ˈped-ə-mənt 

: something that impedes

children with deafness or hearing impediments

especially : an impairment (as a stutter or a lisp) that interferes with the proper articulation of speech

Legal Definition

impediment

noun

im·​ped·​i·​ment im-ˈpe-də-mənt 

: something that prevents or interferes with a process, power, or right

should have known of the legal impediments to the execution of any judgment against the police jury

—Penalber v. Blount, 550 So. 2d 577 (1989)

specifically : a bar to the formation of a valid contract or marriage compare nullity