stumbling-block
Hitch causing delay
A stumbling-block is something that impedes progress or causes difficulty.
The image is of an obstacle in one's path that trips you up: The lack of funding proved to be the main stumbling-block to the project.
The term appears frequently in discussions of negotiations, reforms, or any process where obstacles arise: His criminal record was a stumbling-block to employment.
Thing that obstructs progress
- obstacleSomething blocking the way
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
- obstructionSomething blocking the way
- roadblockObstruction across a road
hurdle · snag · bottleneck · handicap · constraint · restriction · limitation · encumbrance
impediment
Thing that obstructs progress
- obstacleSomething blocking the way
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
- obstructionSomething blocking the way
roadblock · hurdle · snag · bottleneck · handicap · constraint · restriction · limitation · encumbrance · deterrent
difficulty
State of being hard
struggle · hurdle · gauntlet · problem · issue · sticking-point · quandary · dilemma · conundrum · crux
reversal
Complete change of direction
- relapseReturn to former illness
- regressionReturn to former state
- defeatVictory over another
failure · misstep · mishap · delay · disappointment · blow · hiccup · bump · check · derailment
stumbling-blockstepping-stone
Interim stage toward goal
springboard · catalyst · facilitator · enabler · green light
stumbling-blockclear path
Unobstructed way forward
smooth sailing · open road · free passage · easy street · runway
stumble, block, stumbled, stumbles, stumbling, stumbler, stumblers, blocks, blocked