Impediment

//ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A hindrance; that which impedes or obstructs progress; impedance.

    "I require and charge you (as you will aunswere at the dreadefull daye of iudgemente, when the secretes of all hartes shalbee disclosed) that if either of you doe knowe any impedimente why ye maie not bee lawfully ioyned together in matrimonie, that ye confesse it."

  2. 2
    any structure that makes progress difficult wordnet
  3. 3
    A disability, especially one affecting the hearing or speech.

    "Working in a noisy factory left me with a slight hearing impediment."

  4. 4
    something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress wordnet
  5. 5
    Baggage, especially that of an army; impedimenta. in-plural

    "We were all on foot, officers and men alike. Our horses, baggage, and impediments had been left at Brashear to follow the column of General Emory."

Synonyms

All synonyms
barriercurbdifficultyencumbrancehindrancehindrance

Antonyms

All antonyms
cause

Example

More examples

"I don't consider my myopia as an impediment."

Etymology

From Middle English impediment, borrowed from Latin impedimentum.

Related phrases

absolute impedimentdiriment impedimenthindering impedimentimpediment of crimespeech impedimentspeech problem

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.