Definitions for obstacle
ˈɒb stə kəlob·sta·cle

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. obstacle, obstructionnoun

   something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted

   "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"

2. obstaclenoun

   an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. obstaclenoun

   Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress

   A big obstacle to understanding the manual was that it had been poorly translated from the Japanese.

2. Etymology: From obstacle.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Obstaclenoun

   Something opposed; hindrance; obstruction.

   Etymology: obstacle, Fr. obstaculum, Lat.

   Conscience is a blushing shame-fac’d spirit,
   That mutinies in a man’s bosom: it fills
   One full of obstacles. William Shakespeare, Rich. III.

   If all obstacles were cut away,
   And that my path were even to the crown,
   As the ripe reverence and due of birth. William Shakespeare, R. III.

   Disparity in age seems a greater obstacle to an intimate friendship than inequality of fortune. For the humours, business, and diversions, of young and old, are generally very different. Jeremy Collier, on Friendship.

   Some conjectures about the formation of sand-stone, the origin of mountains and islands, I am obliged to look into that they may not remain as obstacles to the less skilful. John Woodward, Nat. Hist.

   What more natural and usual obstacle to those who take voyages, than winds and storms. Alexander Pope.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Obstacle

   An obstacle (also called a barrier, impediment, or stumbling block) is an object, thing, action or situation that causes an obstruction. Different types of obstacles include physical, economic, biopsychosocial, cultural, political, technological and military.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. obstacle

   An obstacle is something that impedes, hinders, or interrupts progress or achievement. This can be a physical barrier, a circumstance, a condition, or even a mental block, that stands in the way of accomplishing a goal, task or objective.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Obstacle

   that which stands in the way, or opposes; anything that hinders progress; a hindrance; an obstruction, physical or moral

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Obstacle

   ob′sta-kl, n. anything that stands in the way of or hinders progress: obstruction.—Obstacle race, a race in which obstacles have to be surmounted or circumvented. [Fr.,—L. obstaculum—ob, in the way of, stāre, to stand.]

Dictionary of Military and Associated TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. obstacle

   Any obstruction designed or employed to disrupt, fix, turn, or block the movement of an opposing force, and to impose additional losses in personnel, time, and equipment on the opposing force. Obstacles can exist naturally or can be man-made, or can be a combination of both.

Matched Categories

1. • Hindrance
   • Obstruction

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'obstacle' in Nouns Frequency: #2414

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce obstacle?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say obstacle in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of obstacle in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of obstacle in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of obstacle in a Sentence

1. Chrystia Freeland:

   We were very clear that as long as the 232 tariffs were there it would be very, very hard for us to ratify the new NAFTA, and that is why we did not table the legislation, now that that big obstacle is lifted, full steam ahead.

2. Meister Eckhart:

   Time is what keeps the light from reaching us. There is no greater obstacle to God than time: and not only time but temporalities, not only temporal things but temporal affections, not only temporal affections but the very taint and smell of time.

3. Fontenelle:

   A great obstacle to happiness is the expectation of too great a happiness.

4. Hakeem Jeffries:

   There are complicating factors in connection with the negotiations that are ongoing, in part that involve some of the law enforcement organizations at the national level trying to torpedo the progress that has been made. And that’s quite unfortunate because we can’t have a situation where a genuine bipartisan effort to achieve police accountability, it’s actually written by those police organizations that we’re trying to hold accountable — that makes zero sense. And so this is an obstacle and a stumbling block, but not an unsurprising one, because we always knew that it would exist and I still believe that it can be overcome as part of the effort to transform policing in America.

5. Saeed Leylaz:

   Removing the sanctions is going to take a big obstacle out of the way for the Iranian economy but it doesn't mean that it's going to be a motor to push the economy on its own.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=obstacle
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Obstacle
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=obstacle
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstacle
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obstacle
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=obstacle
8. ^ Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
   https://www.tradoc.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AD1029823-DOD-Dictionary-of-Military-and-Associated-Terms-2017.pdf
9. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=obstacle