obstructive
Americanadjective
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blocking a passage or view.
The scheme aimed to improve traffic circulation by removing obstructive parking.
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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.
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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 Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obstructive
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin obstruct(us), past participle of obstruere ( see obstruct ( def. )), + -ive ( def. )
Explanation
Anything that's obstructive gets in the way or blocks the flow of something. If you have an obstructive object stuck in your kitchen sink drain, you might have to call a plumber to get the water flowing again. Parking your car in an obstructive way in a parking lot will make it impossible for anyone else to get in or out. And if something's obstructive in your digestive system, it can cause serious problems. A person can act in an obstructive way too, by making processes difficult: "Your obstructive actions meant the city council couldn't even vote on whether or not to open a new zoo." The Latin root is obstruere, "block, stop, or hinder."
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.
Investors will watch for updates on drug candidates camizestrant for breast cancer, tozorakimab for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and efzimfotase alfa for rare disease hypophosphatasia.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
Solriamfetol, the drug evaluated in this study, is already approved for treating excessive sleepiness in people with obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
Charlotte Hennessy, whose father Jimmy died in the 1989 disaster, said she felt Mahmood, who declined to meet relatives in recent weeks, was being "obstructive" over a proposed amendment about the security services.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
They discovered that adults who have both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea face a significantly higher risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease compared with those who have only one of the conditions.
From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026
Of all the dark, obstructive, enigmatic souls I had met in this bleak city, his was the darkest.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
