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
- nonobstructive adjective
- nonobstructively adverb
- nonobstructiveness noun
- obstructively adverb
- obstructiveness obstructivity noun
- unobstructive adjective
Etymology
Origin of obstructive
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin obstruct(us), past participle of obstruere ( obstruct ( def. ) ), + -ive ( def. )
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.
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
Cardiologists use them to help patients shed weight before procedures such as angioplasty, orthopaedic surgeons to ease stress on joints before knee surgery, and chest physicians to treat conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea.
From BBC
A medication called sulthiame may help people with obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during the night and sleep better overall.
From Science Daily
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
But for opponents they are an ugly, obstructive blight on Britain's urban landscape.
From BBC
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.
