obstacle

Plural: obstacles

Noun

• Something that impedes or prevents progress; a hindrance.
• 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"
• an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)
• Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress, either physically or figuratively

Examples

• A big obstacle to understanding the manual was that it had been poorly translated from the Japanese.
• The triple word score was an obstacle for his opponent, who couldn’t reach it.

Synonyms

obstruction, barrier, complication, hindrance, hurdle, impediment, snag