obstructionist

American  

[uhb-struhk-shuh-nist] / əbˈstrʌk ʃə nɪst /

noun

1. a person who deliberately delays or prevents progress.

2. a person who delays or obstructs the business before a legislative body by parliamentary contrivances or legalistic maneuvers.

---

obstructionist British  

/ əbˈstrʌkʃənɪst /

noun

1. 1. a person who deliberately obstructs business, esp in a legislature

   2. ( as modifier )

      obstructionist tactics

---

Other Word Forms

• obstructionism
  noun
• obstructionistic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of obstructionist

First recorded in 1840–50; obstruction + -ist

Example Sentences

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

As his team hunched over computers eating takeaway pizza, he raged about the obstructionist behaviour of many of the other teams at the conference.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2024

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

Facing the possibility of being painted as an obstructionist and potentially being shut out of the expanded playoff in the long term, the Rose Bowl agreed to move forward in good faith.

From Washington Times • Dec. 1, 2022

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