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obstacle
5 dictionary results for: Obstacle
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ob·sta·cle 
[ob-stuh-kuhl] Pronunciation Key
[ob-stuh-kuhl] Pronunciation Key –noun
| something that obstructs or hinders progress. |
[Origin: 1300–50; ME < OF < L obstāculum, equiv. to obstā(re) to face, block, hinder (ob- ob- + stāre to stand) + -culum -cle2]
] —Synonyms Obstacle, obstruction, hindrance, impediment refer to something that interferes with or prevents action or progress. An obstacle is something, material or nonmaterial, that stands in the way of literal or figurative progress: Lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement. An obstruction is something that more or less completely blocks a passage: A blood clot is an obstruction to the circulation. A hindrance keeps back by interfering and delaying: Interruptions are a hindrance to one's work. An impediment interferes with proper functioning: an impediment in one's speech.
—Antonyms help.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| ob·sta·cle
(ŏb'stə-kəl) Pronunciation Key
n. One that opposes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin obstāculum, from obstāre, to hinder : ob-, against; see ob- + stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: All of these nouns refer to something that prevents action or slows progress. Obstacle applies to something that stands in the way: "We combat obstacles in order to get repose" (Henry Adams). |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
obstacle
obstacle
c.1340, from O.Fr. ostacle "hindrance," from L. obstaculum "a hindrance, obstacle," from obstare "stand opposite to, block, hinder," from ob "against" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet).
"The lover thinks more often of reaching his mistress than the husband of guarding his wife; the prisoner thinks more often of escaping than the gaoler of shutting his door; and so, whatever the obstacles may be, the lover and the prisoner ought to succeed." [Stendhal]Obstacle course is attested from 1973.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| obstacle | |
noun | |
| 1. | 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. | an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented) |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Obstacle
Ob"sta*cle\, n. [F., fr. L. obstaculum, fr. obstare to withstand, oppose; ob (see Ob-) + stare to stand. See Stand. and cf. Oust, v.] That which stands in the way, or opposes; anything that hinders progress; a hindrance; an obstruction, physical or moral. If all obstacles were cut away. And that my path were even to the crown. --Shak. Syn: Impediment; obstuction; hindrance; difficulty. See Impediment, and Obstruction.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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