Obstacle — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

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)

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ˈɑːbstəkəl/

🇬🇧British English

/ˈɒbstəkəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ˈɒbstəkəl/

2 syllables Say it as /ˈɑːbstəkəl/.

Examples

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

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

obstruction

Parts of Speech

noun	something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted “lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement”
noun	an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Hindernis

etwas Immaterielles, das im Weg steht und umgangen oder überwunden werden muss

🇪🇸Spanish

obstáculo

algo inmaterial que se interpone en el camino y debe ser eludido o superado

🇮🇹Italian

ostacolo

qualcosa di immateriale che si frappone e che deve essere aggirato o superato

🇳🇱Dutch

obstakel

iets immaterieels dat in de weg staat en moet worden omzeild of overwonnen

🇵🇹Portuguese

obstáculo

algo imaterial que atrapalha e deve ser contornado ou superado

🇷🇺Russian

препятствие

нечто нематериальное, что стоит на пути и которое необходимо обойти или преодолеть

India

🇮🇳Hindi

बाधा

कुछ सारहीन चीज़ जो रास्ते में खड़ी है और जिसे टाला जाना चाहिए या पार किया जाना चाहिए

🇧🇩Bengali

বাধা

কিছু অমূলক যা পথের মধ্যে দাঁড়িয়ে আছে এবং অবশ্যই তা অতিক্রম করতে হবে বা অতিক্রম করতে হবে

🇮🇳Tamil

தடையாக

பொருளற்ற ஒன்று வழியில் நிற்கிறது மற்றும் தவிர்க்கப்பட வேண்டும் அல்லது மீறப்பட வேண்டும்

🇮🇳Telugu

అడ్డంకి

అభౌతికమైనది ఏదో ఒక మార్గంలో ఉంటుంది మరియు తప్పక తప్పించుకోవాలి లేదా అధిగమించాలి

🇮🇳Marathi

अडथळा

काहीतरी अभौतिक जे मार्गात उभं आहे आणि त्यापासून बचाव करणे आवश्यक आहे

🇮🇳Gujarati

અવરોધ

કંઈક નકામું કે જે માર્ગમાં ઊભું છે અને તેને અટકાવવું જોઈએ અથવા તેને સરમાઉન્ટ કરવું જોઈએ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಡಚಣೆ

ಯಾವುದೋ ಅಪ್ರಸ್ತುತವು ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅದನ್ನು ತಪ್ಪಿಸಬೇಕು ಅಥವಾ ಮೀರಬೇಕು

🇮🇳Malayalam

തടസ്സം

അഭൗതികമായ എന്തെങ്കിലും വഴിയിൽ നിൽക്കുകയും മറികടക്കുകയോ മറികടക്കുകയോ വേണം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਰੁਕਾਵਟ

ਕੋਈ ਚੀਜ਼ ਜੋ ਰਸਤੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਖੜ੍ਹੀ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਉਸਨੂੰ ਰੋਕਿਆ ਜਾਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ ਜਾਂ ਸਰਮਾਊਟ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

رکاوٹ

کوئی ایسی چیز جو راستے میں کھڑی ہو اور اسے روکا جائے یا اس سے بچایا جائے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

障碍

阻碍并必须规避或克服的非物质因素

🇯🇵Japanese

障害

邪魔をする非物質的なもので、回避または克服する必要があるもの

🇰🇷Korean

장애

방해가 되어 우회하거나 극복해야 하는 중요하지 않은 것

🇻🇳Vietnamese

trở ngại

một cái gì đó phi vật chất cản trở và phải được phá vỡ hoặc khắc phục

🇹🇭Thai

อุปสรรค

สิ่งไม่มีสาระสำคัญที่ขวางทางและต้องหลีกเลี่ยงหรือเอาชนะ

🇮🇩Indonesian

rintangan

sesuatu yang tidak penting yang menghalangi dan harus dielakkan atau diatasi

🇵🇭Filipino

balakid

isang bagay na hindi materyal na humahadlang at dapat iwasan o malampasan

🇲🇾Malay

halangan

sesuatu yang tidak material yang menghalang dan mesti dielakkan atau diatasi

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

عقبة

شيء غير مادي يقف في الطريق ويجب التحايل عليه أو التغلب عليه

🇮🇷Persian

مانع

چیزی غیر مادی که سد راه است و باید دور زد یا بر آن فائق آمد

🇹🇷Turkish

engel

Yolda duran ve atlatılması veya aşılması gereken önemsiz bir şey

🇮🇱Hebrew

מִכשׁוֹל

משהו לא מהותי שעומד בדרכו ויש לעקוף אותו או להתגבר עליו

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'obstacle'?

The primary meaning of 'obstacle' is 'something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'obstacle' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'obstacle' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'obstacle' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'obstacle' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'obstacle' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'obstacle' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'obstacle' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'obstacle' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'obstacle' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'obstacle' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted