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obstacle - 4 dictionary results

ob⋅sta⋅cle

  [ob-stuh-kuhl]
Use obstacle in a Sentence
–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 -cle 2

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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To obstacle
ob·sta·cle   (ŏb'stə-kəl)   
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).
An obstruction makes passage or progress difficult: A sandbar is an obstruction to navigation.
Bar and barrier suggest an obstruction that confines or prevents exit or entry: "Tyranny may always enter—there is no charm, no bar against it—the only bar against it is a large resolute breed of men" (Walt Whitman). "Literature is my Utopia.... No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourse of my book friends" (Helen Keller).
Block suggests obstruction that effectively prevents all passage: I had a mental block and couldn't remember the date.
Hindrance and impediment are applied to something that interferes with or delays passage or progress: "an attachment that would be a hindrance to him in any honorable career" (Thomas Hardy). Overcrowded classrooms are an impediment to learning.
A snag is an unforeseen or hidden, often transitory obstacle: Due to a snag in plans, the project was delayed.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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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Language Translation for : obstacle
Spanish: obstáculo,
German: das Hindernis,
Japanese: 障害
More Translations »

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
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