barrier
What impedes progress
A barrier is something that blocks passage or prevents progress.
Physical barriers include fences, walls, and gates: Police set up barriers to control the crowd.
Abstract barriers are obstacles to achievement or understanding: language barrier, barrier to entry.
A barrier can also mark a boundary or threshold: the sound barrier, break the $100 barrier.
Barrier to leap over
- impedimentThing that obstructs progress
- hindranceBarrier to progress
- stumbling blockObstacle causing difficulty
- roadblockObstruction across a road
snag · handicap · bottleneck · difficulty · challenge · setback · complication · deterrent
Vertical enclosing structure
- fenceBoundary structure between properties
- gateHinged barrier in fence
- railingHorizontal safety bar
- bollardTraffic-blocking vertical post
partition · screen · divider · bulkhead · turnstile · guardrail · checkpoint · roadblock
Handheld defensive armor
- defenseProtection against harm
- safeguardPrecaution against harm
- bufferProtective intermediate space
- bulwarkDefensive fortification or safeguard
guard · screen · armor · cover · shelter · insulation · firewall · windbreak
Outer edge or limit
- thresholdPoint of beginning
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- frontierEdge of settlement
- perimeterShape's outer edge length
edge · limit · line · divide · margin · brink · verge · boundary line
Tax on traded goods
- embargoOfficial prohibition on trade
- sanctionsPunitive international restrictions
- quotaFixed assigned amount
- restrictionLimit on action
prohibition · protectionism · blockade · ban · moratorium · duty · levy · export control
Complete mutual obstruction
- congestionExcessive accumulation causing blockage
- jamCooked fruit spread
- bottleneckConstriction limiting throughput
- snarlHostile vocal threat
tie-up · logjam · standstill · detour · closure · tollbooth · checkpoint · roadwork
Forced separation by group
- exclusionBeing barred from participation
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
stigma · alienation · marginalization · divide · gap · glass ceiling · ostracism · apartheid
Water-holding barrier
- leveeRiver flood barrier
- dikeWall against flooding
- seawallCoastal erosion barrier
- floodgateWater-controlling barrier mechanism
weir · breakwater · cofferdam · sluice · embankment · spillway · reservoir
Failure to grasp meaning
- disconnectTo break a connection
- gapUnfilled space between
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- censorshipOfficial content restriction
jargon · illiteracy · inaccessibility · cultural divide · translation · interpreter
hurdle
Barrier to leap over
- impedimentThing that obstructs progress
- hindranceBarrier to progress
- stumbling blockObstacle causing difficulty
roadblock · snag · handicap · bottleneck · difficulty · challenge · setback · complication · deterrent · interference
wall
Vertical enclosing structure
bollard · partition · screen · divider · bulkhead · turnstile · guardrail · checkpoint · roadblock · blockade
shield
Handheld defensive armor
bulwark · guard · screen · armor · cover · shelter · insulation · firewall · windbreak · breakwater
border
Outer edge or limit
- thresholdPoint of beginning
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- frontierEdge of settlement
perimeter · edge · limit · line · divide · margin · brink · verge · boundary line · cutoff
tariff
Tax on traded goods
- embargoOfficial prohibition on trade
- sanctionsPunitive international restrictions
- quotaFixed assigned amount
restriction · prohibition · protectionism · blockade · ban · moratorium · duty · levy · export control
gridlock
Complete mutual obstruction
- congestionExcessive accumulation causing blockage
- jamCooked fruit spread
- bottleneckConstriction limiting throughput
snarl · tie-up · logjam · standstill · detour · closure · tollbooth · checkpoint · roadwork
segregation
Forced separation by group
- exclusionBeing barred from participation
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
prejudice · stigma · alienation · marginalization · divide · gap · glass ceiling · ostracism · apartheid · caste
dam
Water-holding barrier
floodgate · weir · breakwater · cofferdam · sluice · embankment · spillway · reservoir
misunderstanding
Failure to grasp meaning
- disconnectTo break a connection
- gapUnfilled space between
- silenceTotal lack of sound
censorship · jargon · illiteracy · inaccessibility · cultural divide · translation · interpreter
- construction sitehard hat, hard hats, foreman, cones, cranes
- defensedefense, defending, protecting, protection, security
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- pandemiclockdowns, COVID-19, outbreak, epidemic, COVID
- safetysafety helmet, hazard, airbag, alert, occupational safety
- barrierswalls, wall, fences, fence, gates
- language barrierMutual incomprehension across tongues
- barrier reefsOffshore coral formations creating lagoons
- sound barrierMach one transition zone
- blood-brain barrierProtective cerebral filtration system
- break down barriers
- breaking the barrier
barricade, barriers, barrier islands, barrier island, barrier reef, barrier-free, barrier reefs, barriers to entry