as in hurdles
something that makes movement or progress difficult
stumbling on all the obstacles along the path
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Recent Examples of obstacles
To strengthen an organization’s risk management, executives and boards must first identify cultural obstacles, according to the report.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
This missile allows tank crews to hit targets that are hidden behind buildings, trees, or other obstacles without exposing themselves to enemy fire.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet even as many conference delegates voiced confidence that the COP28 pledge to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050 would be reached, others were quick to point out the obstacles that remained.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The theatrical distribution of Brazilian films in other Latin American countries, and of film from these countries in Brazil, continues to face many industry and cultural obstacles and is marginal, in spite of some specific advances, say distributors and producers.
—Marcelo Cajueiro, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025
Designing out the friction removes your top performers’ obstacles.
—Scott Braunstein, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The bigger obstacles are the shrinking of the federal forest workforce over the past two decades, the low commercial value of the small trees and brush that need to be removed, and the lack of contractors, processing facilities and markets for low-value wood.
—Tony Cheng, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025
Similarly, Arizona’s native flora and fauna have their own obstacles to survival in one of the world’s most unforgiving landscapes.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Some cities install physical barriers like planters, bike racks, or other obstacles, to ensure compliance.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
This missile allows tank crews to hit targets that are hidden behind buildings, trees, or other obstacles without exposing themselves to enemy fire.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet even as many conference delegates voiced confidence that the COP28 pledge to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050 would be reached, others were quick to point out the obstacles that remained.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The theatrical distribution of Brazilian films in other Latin American countries, and of film from these countries in Brazil, continues to face many industry and cultural obstacles and is marginal, in spite of some specific advances, say distributors and producers.
—Marcelo Cajueiro, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025
Designing out the friction removes your top performers’ obstacles.
—Scott Braunstein, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The bigger obstacles are the shrinking of the federal forest workforce over the past two decades, the low commercial value of the small trees and brush that need to be removed, and the lack of contractors, processing facilities and markets for low-value wood.
—Tony Cheng, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025
Similarly, Arizona’s native flora and fauna have their own obstacles to survival in one of the world’s most unforgiving landscapes.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Some cities install physical barriers like planters, bike racks, or other obstacles, to ensure compliance.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obstacles
Noun
-
One of the big hurdles Paramount and Skydance likely wouldn’t have to worry about is the FCC.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Education remains one of the category’s biggest hurdles, since many shoppers still view honey as interchangeable.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In 2025, Roborock launched a vacuum cleaner with a robotic arm for moving socks and other obstructions out of the way.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The Buck is collecting data to identify any obstructions to the safe navigation of traffic entering or exiting the Port of Baltimore via the Fort McHenry Federal Channel.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Trial-size packaging lowers entry barriers in premium categories.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
People without health insurance cannot access services, services in the county are fragmented, and low income creates additional barriers for residents, especially residents of color, the story found.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
For many, the glamour of it all seemed to be gone, replaced with a glossy series of embarrassments.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obstacles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obstacles. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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