obstacle
nounUK /ˈɒbstəkəl/ · US /ˈɑbstəkəl/
Etymology From Middle English obstacle, from Old French obstacle, from Latin obstāculum.
1
Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress, either physically or figuratively
- A big obstacle to understanding the manual was that it had been poorly translated from the Japanese.
- Synonyms
- impediment, hindrance, hurdle, barrier, complication, snag
- Derived terms
- obstacle course, obstacle race, obstacle-ridden, obstacular, obstaculate