impediment

American  

[im-ped-uh-muhnt] / ɪmˈpɛd ə mənt /

noun

• impediments
  plural

1. obstruction; hindrance; obstacle.

   Synonyms:

   check, encumbrance, bar

   Antonyms:

   encouragement, help

2. any physical impairment or condition that impedes normal, fluent, or easy speech; a speech disorder.

3. Chiefly Ecclesiastical Law. a bar, usually of blood or affinity, to marriage.

   a diriment impediment.

4. Usually impediments. impedimenta.

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impediment British  

/ ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt /

noun

1. a hindrance or obstruction

2. a physical defect, esp one of speech, such as a stammer

3. law an obstruction to the making of a contract, esp a contract of marriage by reason of closeness of blood or affinity

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Synonym Usage

See obstacle.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• impedimental
  adjective
• impedimentary
  adjective
• nonimpedimental
  adjective
• nonimpedimentary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• impediments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of impediment

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin impedīmentum; see impede, -ment

Explanation

An impediment is anything that slows or blocks progress. It can refer to a physical thing, like a fallen tree in the road, or something more intangible, like how your short stature is an impediment to becoming a professional basketball player. See the pedi in there? Pedi means "feet" and hundreds of years ago, the word impediment referred to shackling one's feet. Now its use has broadened considerably. An impediment is something that blocks or impedes your path. There's no end to the things in life that can be considered impediments: a small bank account, a low-paying job, a country's economic malaise — any one of these could be considered an impediment in someone's quest for happiness.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

impediment impediments

But remember, despair isn’t activism—it’s just another impediment to progress.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

“That makes sense, and there’s no legal impediment to doing that.”

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

"The absence of documentation is a serious impediment to continuing your lives," he told AFP in the capital Kabul.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

“ULA has been an impediment to the Palisades recovery, leaving properties sitting empty and people mired in tax and regulatory hell,” City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, told colleagues before the vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

Unfortunately, he now met yet another formidable impediment to acceptance: the conservativeness of his fellow scientists.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said at the weekend that assistance for the territory's 2.1 million population "must be scaled up by removing impediments and safeguarding neutrality of aid".

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

The EPA also removed "all federal impediments to selling E10," gasoline blended with 10 percent ethanol, Zeldin said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026

Wiener said his bill would rectify those impediments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026

The rules did draw backlash from some local startups, which called the rules vague or warned the fresh impediments could stymie innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

Most others believe that recent Mexican immigrants will eventually take their place in society, and perhaps someday muster political clout commensurate with their numbers, though significant impediments are slowing their progress.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• barrier
• bottleneck
• burden
• defect
• deterrent
• difficulty
• disadvantage
• drawback
• flaw
• handicap
• hazard
• hitch
• hurdle
• inhibition
• obstacle
• red tape
• restriction
• setback
• snag
• stumbling block