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obstacles

noun

plural of obstacle
as in hurdles
something that makes movement or progress difficult stumbling on all the obstacles along the path

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obstacles But there are multiple obstacles to pivoting the US potash supply, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s doubts about a deal. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026 And SpaceX will need to overcome those obstacles to Starship’s full operational status soon. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026 Even so, significant obstacles remain before any reactors could be built. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 How Regulation Will Shape The Winners The history of fintech is replete with businesses that grew quickly before encountering regulatory obstacles. — Antoine Sallis, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026 The Bolsonaro reaction Flávio Bolsonaro, by contrast, criticizes Brazilian democratic institutions – particularly the Supreme Court and the electoral system – as obstacles to restoring the country’s political order. — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026 As a Deaf person, Allen is also well aware of how many obstacles Deaf children face in Sacramento. — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Wong embodied a model of how to reinvent oneself in the face of the most daunting societal obstacles. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 Journalists and other civil society actors also continue to face obstacles in their work. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstacles
  1. hurdles
  2. obstructions
  3. barriers
  4. embarrassments
Noun
  • The high speed rail project, which voters first approved nearly 20 years ago, has become a political liability for Democrats as budget estimates have ballooned and the project has been delayed for years due to litigation and regulatory hurdles.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As Nabers wrestled with hurdles that stood in his way, the noise of a 24/7 NFL news cycle desperate to know Nabers’ next steps swirled around them.
    — Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of hurdles
Noun
  • Jerome noticed several obstructions in the road while biking.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • By keeping vents free of obstructions and furniture, airflow is maximized, which increases a home’s cooling.
    — Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstructions
Noun
  • Their job is to reduce the world to a series of numbers that can be punched into increasingly complex statistical equations and published in esoteric journals with high barriers to entry and minuscule readerships.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Following significant amendments in the final days of the legislative session, community college leaders are concerned the new laws will end up creating more barriers than support for the system’s growing baccalaureate program.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of barriers
Noun
  • Sitting around a table in the soundstage where the pilot for I Love Lucy was filmed, the six of them tailored the roles to the actors and infused the script with arguments, embarrassments, and confessions from their own relationships.
    — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 June 2026
  • The order to whitewash America’s historic sites of anything less than rosy about the nation’s past has led to some predictable embarrassments.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Definition of embarrassments

Browse Nearby Words

obstacle
obstacles
obstetrician
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Cite this Entry

“Obstacles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstacles. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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