obstructionist
Americannoun
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a person who deliberately delays or prevents progress.
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a person who delays or obstructs the business before a legislative body by parliamentary contrivances or legalistic maneuvers.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obstructionist
First recorded in 1840–50; obstruction + -ist
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other AI companies have already agreed to the Pentagon’s unrestricted use framework, suggesting that Anthropic’s position may be unnecessarily obstructionist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
She added that, "there can be no more cynical moves or obstructionist tactics by the British government". and a public inquiry is needed to "at last establish the full truth around Sean Brown's murder".
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2025
As David Brinkley writes in "Washington Goes to War," he offered obstructionist amendments to make the plan impossible to implement, but they were voted down.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2023
He is widely known in Congress for obstructionist procedural motions and dissatisfaction with the current legislative rules.
From Reuters ● Jan. 5, 2023
There’s no law against it, but it has made the Amazonian Scythedom uncooperative and openly obstructionist when it comes to assisting scythes from any other region.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
