ZebraWords.com - The Definition of 'Obstacle', Synonyms of 'Obstacle' & More on 'Obstacle'

1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)

obstacle
    n 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" [syn:
         obstacle, obstruction]
    2: an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or
       surmounted or circumvented)

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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.
   [1913 Webster]

         If all obstacles were cut away.
         And that my path were even to the crown. --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Impediment; obstuction; hindrance; difficulty. See
        Impediment, and Obstruction.
        [1913 Webster]

Thesaurus Results for obstacle:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

bar, barrier, blank wall, blind alley, blind gut, block, blockade, blockage, bottleneck, catch, cecum, check, choking, choking off, clog, congestion, constipation, cordon, costiveness, crimp, cul-de-sac, curtain, dead end, determent, deterrent, difficulty, disincentive, drawback, embolism, embolus, gorge, hamper, hang-up, hazard, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impasse, impediment, infarct, infarction, jam, joker, mountain, objection, obstipation, obstruction, obstructive, one small difficulty, rub, sealing off, snag, stop, stoppage, strangulation, stumbling, stumbling block, stumbling stone

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