Meaning & use
obstructive
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Deliberately getting in the way of progress, discussion or a task, often by delaying or refusing to help.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after be: an obstructive manager, he was obstructive.
Patterns
- be obstructive about something
- obstructive behavior
The council was obstructive and kept asking for more forms.
He grew obstructive whenever anyone suggested a change to the schedule.
Her obstructive attitude made the committee's work much slower.
adjectivebefore a nounmedicaltechnical
Causing or relating to a physical blockage, especially in the body's airways or passages.
Grammar: Appears mainly before a noun in medical phrases: obstructive sleep apnea.
Patterns
- obstructive sleep apnea
- obstructive lung disease
Obstructive sleep apnea makes a person stop breathing briefly during sleep.
The doctor diagnosed an obstructive disorder of the airways.
Surgery relieved the obstructive swelling in his throat.
Word forms
| comparative | more obstructive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most obstructive |
Common combinations
- deliberately obstructive
- The landlord was deliberately obstructive about repairs.
- obstructive tactics
- Opponents used obstructive tactics to delay the vote.
- obstructive behavior
- Obstructive behavior from one team member can slow everyone down.
- obstructive sleep apnea
- Obstructive sleep apnea is often treated with a breathing mask.
- obstructive bureaucracy
- The charity struggled against obstructive bureaucracy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uncooperative
- Uncooperative is milder and describes a lack of help, whereas obstructive suggests actively putting barriers in the way.
- unhelpful
- Unhelpful may be accidental or lazy, while obstructive usually implies a deliberate effort to hold things up.
- hindering
- Hindering describes the effect of slowing something, and it is less about the attitude of a person than obstructive.
- disruptive
- Disruptive means causing disorder or interruption, whereas obstructive means blocking or delaying progress.
Opposites
Word family
- obstruct verb
- to block or hinder something
- obstruction noun
- something that blocks, or the act of blocking
- obstructively adverb
- in a way that blocks or delays
- obstructiveness noun
- the quality of being obstructive
- obstructionist noun
- a person who deliberately delays progress, especially in politics
Commonly confused: obstructive or abstractive? obstructive or destructive?
obstructive vs abstractive
Abstractive relates to abstracting or summarizing, and it is not a spelling variant of obstructive.
obstructive vs destructive
Destructive means causing damage, while obstructive means blocking or delaying.
Practice
The clerk was ____, refusing to explain the process and sending us back for more paperwork.
Choose one answer.
Obstructive describes someone who puts obstacles in the way. Constructive, instructive and productive all describe helpful qualities that do not match the clerk's behavior.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “obstructive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.