obstructive

[ uhb-struhk-tiv ]

adjective

1. blocking a passage or view:

   The scheme aimed to improve traffic circulation by removing obstructive parking.

2. interrupting, hindering, or opposing the progress or course of some process:

   This is an opportunity to share different viewpoints, so feel free to do so; but if disagreement becomes obstructive, we will not achieve our aims.

3. Pathology. characterized by a blockage, as of an airway, blood vessel, duct, or other passage in the body:

   Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder involving repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep.

Other Words From

• ob·struc·tive·ly adverb
• ob·struc·tive·ness, ob·struc·tiv·i·ty [ob-struhk-, tiv, -i-tee], noun
• non·ob·struc·tive adjective
• non·ob·struc·tive·ly adverb
• non·ob·struc·tive·ness noun
• un·ob·struc·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of obstructive¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin obstruct(us), past participle of obstruere ( obstruct ( def ) ), + -ive ( def )

Example Sentences

“Why Fish Don’t Exist,” by Lulu MillerThrough an exploration of the work of David Starr Jordan — a taxonomist whose quest to name every fish was continually obstructed — Miller, an NPR reporter, attempts to make sense of her own messy life.

From Washington Post

At one point, the Republican at her table started saying, over and over, “I challenge this ballot, I challenge this ballot, I challenge this ballot” — clearly trying, she said, to obstruct the count.

From Washington Post

Supervolcanic eruptions would devastate habitats, obstruct sunlight, decrease air quality, and maybe even lead to global cooling.

From MIT Technology Review

Downs threaded that needle by creating the popular rainbow banners, not obstructing the walks themselves, but rather bordering them.

From Washington Blade

Pence may try to accuse her of obstructing Republican-appointed judges out of hand.

From FiveThirtyEight

Snoring is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, when your airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep.

From The Daily Beast

Wan Tan, et al. “Marijuana and Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease: A Population-Based Study.”

From The Daily Beast

Inflammatory, obstructive, and membranous dysmenorrhoea are commonly made worse by marriage.

From Project Gutenberg

His lordship began at this time to display an obstructive disposition towards the government with which he had so long acted.

From Project Gutenberg

In the nose the sneezing, the discharge, the obstructive swelling suggest at once catarrhal rhinitis.

From Project Gutenberg

Need we more to bid the mind perceive through obstructive flesh the God who reigns, a devil vanquished?

From Project Gutenberg

"The flippancy of the half-educated is more obstructive to science than the obtuseness of the ignorant," said he.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• anti
• antithetical
• averse
• disputed
• hostile
• inimical
• opposing