Synonyms for obstacle


Grammar : Noun
Spell : ob-stuh-kuhl
Phonetic Transcription : ˈɒb stə kəl

Top 10 synonyms for obstacle Other synonyms for the word obstacle

Définition of obstacle

Origin :
  • mid-14c., from Old French obstacle, ostacle "opposition, obstruction, hindrance" (13c.) or directly from Latin obstaculum "a hindrance, obstacle," with instrumental suffix *-tlom + obstare "stand before, stand opposite to, block, hinder, thwart," from ob "against" (see ob-) + stare "to stand," from PIE root *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, "Charterhouse of Parma"]
  • Obstacle course is attested from 1891.
  • noun impediment, barrier
Example sentences :
  • He made a brief gesture, like one wiping an obstacle out of the way.
  • Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
  • That was the entering wedge—the mention of an obstacle to overcome.
  • Extract from : « It Happened in Egypt » by C. N. Williamson
  • It has been raised from the rank of a fiction to the dignity of an obstacle.
  • Extract from : « Alarms and Discursions » by G. K. Chesterton
  • I had to be dragged away, but I am soon myself again when confronted by an obstacle.
  • Extract from : « My Double Life » by Sarah Bernhardt
  • After overcoming every obstacle, he had the satisfaction of reaping the reward of his enterprise.
  • Extract from : « Self-Help » by Samuel Smiles
  • If this is true, no obstacle on earth shall part us so long as we live.
  • Extract from : « Henry Dunbar » by M. E. Braddon
  • But to scale this obstacle without ladders was no easy matter.
  • Extract from : « The History of the First West India Regiment » by A. B. Ellis
  • Raising the boat-hook over his head, Paul soon detected the obstacle.
  • Extract from : « Homeward Bound » by James Fenimore Cooper
  • Heterodoxy in details of faith is rampant, and is no obstacle to Christian fellowship.
  • Extract from : « Mountain Meditations » by L. Lind-af-Hageby
  • They were seized with fever and delirium, and this obstacle, in their minds, became material.
  • Extract from : « Therese Raquin » by Emile Zola

Antonyms for obstacle

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019