obstacle
pronunciation
How to pronounce obstacle in British English:
UK [ˈɒbstəkl]
How to pronounce obstacle in American English:
US [ˈɑːbstəkl]
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- Noun:
- something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
- an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)
Word Origin
- obstacle (n.)
- 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.
Synonym
Antonym
Example
- 1. That obstacle has been removed .
- 2. Funding is an obstacle too .
- 3. History has been one obstacle .
- 4. The second obstacle is apple .
- 5. The real obstacle is political .