STUMBLING BLOCKS Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

stumbling blocks

noun

plural of stumbling block

as in obstacles

something that makes movement or progress difficult the only stumbling block to our move across the country was finding someone to adopt our cats

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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 stumbling blocks The facility may also run into stumbling blocks at the state level. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 Macroeconomic challenges have been stumbling blocks that Hill has had to navigate. — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026 But the process has been riddled with stumbling blocks – including persistent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which threatened to derail US-Iran talks last week. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 25 June 2026 Since then, the process has stretched to require four different levels of review, each with a list of procedural requirements that pose stumbling blocks for prisoners seeking help. — Christie Thompson, NPR, 17 June 2026 Irving's complicated journey with leadership has been well documented, from his controversial trade request from Cleveland to stumbling blocks in Boston and Brooklyn. — Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 7 Apr. 2026 The stumbling blocks to dialogue are immense. — Obi Anyadike, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026 However, one of the stumbling blocks on this pathway is borate, which is a family of common compounds found in seawater. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026 Cannon’s second and third languages become stumbling blocks for the reader, and visual shortcuts for emotional distance. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumbling blocks

Noun

Icy weather, snowstorms, obstructive foliage and rugged terrain along the wild Rockies were just some of the obstacles Ben Nickell and Anne Koski faced on a 10-year journey to climb the highest point in each of Idaho’s 44 counties.

— Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026
Long before launch, the team faced obstacles that nearly thwarted the endeavor — chiefly, two rejections from NASA — before finally securing the green light for the $1 billion project under the New Frontiers Program in 2011.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of obstacles

Noun

Both promise to boost supply chain resilience — be that against climate change or geopolitical unrest — but face significant barriers to scale.

— Bella Webb, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
The harder tasks are to integrate capital markets, reduce regulatory differences between member states, and dismantle barriers to cross-border investment and commerce.

— Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of barriers

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“Stumbling blocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumbling%20blocks. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stumbling blocks

noun

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