The shortage of engineers is the greatest bottleneck to the development of our company.
Source: tatoeba (20052)
Bottleneck
Synonyms for "bottleneck" (146 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (30)
Strong matches (43)
compressureconcentralizationconcentrationconcourseconcurrencecondensationconfluenceconfluxcongestioncongressconsolidationconstipationconstrictionconstringencycontractioncontractureconvergenceconvergingcordoncostiveness
Show 19 more words
crossingcul-de-saccurtailmentcurtaindead enddecreasedefiledetermentdeterrentdifficultydiminuendodrawbackembolismembolusfly in the ointmentfocalizationfocusfunnelgorge
Noun(4 words)
Related words (73)
hang uphang-uphazardhitchhourglasshourglass figurehubhurdleimpasseimpedimentinfarctinfarctionisthmusjamjokerknittingmeetingmutual approachnarrownarrow place
Show 36 more words
narrowingnarrowing gapnarrowsneckobjectionobstacleobstipationobstructionobstructiveone small difficultypasspuckeringpursingradiusreductionrubsealing offshorteningsnagsolidificationspokespokesstopstoppagestraitstranglementstrangulationstrictionstricturestumbling blockstumbling stonesystoletangentthroatwasp waistwrinkling
Noun(16 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: chokepoint, constriction, abbreviation, approach, astriction.
- Sentence evidence is available for bottleneck, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "bottleneck".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "bottleneck"
Keep "bottleneck" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "bottleneck" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "bottleneck", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "bottleneck" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
17 entriesShowing 16 of 17 words.
More specific
7 entriescapacity constraintcycle bottleneckline bottleneckprocess bottleneckproduction bottlenecksupply bottleneckthroughput constraint
Collocations
10 entriesbottleneck throughputcapacity bottleneckinformation bottleneckline bottleneckpolicy bottleneckprocess bottleneckproduction bottlenecksupply bottlenecksupply chain bottleneckthroughput bottleneck
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
35 translations across 28 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- عُنُق الزُّجَاجَة noun (neck of a bottle)
Bashkir
1 entries- шешә ауыҙы noun (neck of a bottle)
Catalan
1 entries- coll d'ampolla noun (neck of a bottle)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 瓶頸 /瓶颈 noun (neck of a bottle)
Czech
1 entries- hrdlo lahve noun (neck of a bottle)
Danish
1 entries- flaskehals noun (neck of a bottle)
Dutch
1 entries- flessenhals noun (neck of a bottle)
Finnish
1 entries- pullonkaula noun (neck of a bottle)
French
3 entries- goulot noun (neck of a bottle)
- goulot de bouteille noun (neck of a bottle)
- tête de bouteille noun (neck of a bottle)
Galician
1 entries- gorgozo noun (neck of a bottle)
German
1 entries- Flaschenhals noun (neck of a bottle)
Hungarian
1 entries- palacknyak noun (neck of a bottle)
Icelandic
2 entries- flöskuháls noun (neck of a bottle)
- stútur noun (neck of a bottle)
Irish
2 entries- scrogall noun (neck of a bottle)
- scrogall buidéil noun (neck of a bottle)
Italian
1 entries- collo di bottiglia noun (neck of a bottle)
Japanese
1 entries- 瓶の首 noun (neck of a bottle)
Macedonian
1 entries- грло на шише noun (neck of a bottle)
Malay
2 entries- cerutan noun (neck of a bottle)
- kejejalan noun (neck of a bottle)
Mongolian
1 entries- лонхны хүзүү noun (neck of a bottle)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- flaskehals noun (neck of a bottle)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- flaskehals noun (neck of a bottle)
Polish
1 entries- szyjka noun (neck of a bottle)
Portuguese
1 entries- gargalo noun (neck of a bottle)
Russian
2 entries- го́рлышко noun (neck of a bottle)
- го́рлышко буты́лки noun (neck of a bottle)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- grlić noun (neck of a bottle)
- грлић noun (neck of a bottle)
Spanish
1 entries- cuello de botella noun (neck of a bottle)
Swedish
1 entries- flaskhals noun (neck of a bottle)
Uyghur
1 entries- جوغا noun (neck of a bottle)
Sample sentences
11 total sentences available.
Ashkenazi Jews experienced a population bottleneck around 700 years ago.
Source: tatoeba (9671553)
Ashkenazim experienced a population bottleneck around 700 years ago.
Source: tatoeba (9973792)
“The real bottleneck is to find out the technique to make large area graphene layers and that’s not yet possible, I don’t think, but there is a lot of research going on,” he said.
Source: tatoeba (12390464)
Showing 4 of 11 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "bottleneck"?
Closest matches include chokepoint, constriction, abbreviation, approach, astriction.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "bottleneck"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.