obstructive

American  

[uhb-struhk-tiv] / əbˈstrʌk tɪv /

adjective

1. blocking a passage or view.

   The scheme aimed to improve traffic circulation by removing obstructive parking.

2. interrupting, hindering, or opposing the progress or course of some process.

   This is an opportunity to share different viewpoints, so feel free to do so; but if disagreement becomes obstructive, we will not achieve our aims.

3. Pathology. characterized by a blockage, as of an airway, blood vessel, duct, or other passage in the body.

   Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder involving repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonobstructive adjective
• nonobstructively adverb
• nonobstructiveness noun
• obstructively adverb
• obstructiveness obstructivity noun
• unobstructive adjective

Etymology

Origin of obstructive

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin obstruct(us), past participle of obstruere ( see obstruct ( def. )), + -ive ( def. )

Explanation

Anything that's obstructive gets in the way or blocks the flow of something. If you have an obstructive object stuck in your kitchen sink drain, you might have to call a plumber to get the water flowing again. Parking your car in an obstructive way in a parking lot will make it impossible for anyone else to get in or out. And if something's obstructive in your digestive system, it can cause serious problems. A person can act in an obstructive way too, by making processes difficult: "Your obstructive actions meant the city council couldn't even vote on whether or not to open a new zoo." The Latin root is obstruere, "block, stop, or hinder."

Example Sentences

Investors will watch for updates on drug candidates camizestrant for breast cancer, tozorakimab for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and efzimfotase alfa for rare disease hypophosphatasia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Charlotte Hennessy, whose father Jimmy died in the 1989 disaster, said she felt Mahmood, who declined to meet relatives in recent weeks, was being "obstructive" over a proposed amendment about the security services.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

This helps lower the likelihood that the upper airway will collapse during sleep, which is the main cause of obstructive sleep apnea.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

"We are knowingly sacrificing people here to cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma," he told AFP.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Of all the dark, obstructive, enigmatic souls I had met in this bleak city, his was the darkest.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• anti
• antithetical
• averse
• disputed
• hostile
• inimical
• opposing