sticking point

noun

1. a point, detail, or circumstance causing or likely to cause a stalemate or impasse:

   The bill would have gone through the Senate quickly but for one sticking point.

2. sticking place ( def 1 ).

sticking point

noun

1. a problem or point on which agreement cannot be reached, preventing progress from being made

Word History and Origins

Origin of sticking point¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Some people familiar with the negotiations wondered whether that proposition would become a sticking point in the 2021 health and safety protocols, too.

From Washington Post

One of the biggest potential sticking points, literally, is getting the cakes out of the ramekins or molds.

From Washington Post

A key sticking point in negotiations has been expanding what criteria the district uses for granting medical accommodations.

From Washington Post

Buzzwords are often a big sticking point when it comes to B2B and SaaS marketing.

From Search Engine Land

The Federal Reserve’s lending powers have emerged as a key sticking point in the deal.

From Washington Post

I quickly learned—the sticking point was, and still is, the cops.

From The Daily Beast

The one sticking point was, of course, that my D-list viral celebrity as a Jeopardy!

From The Daily Beast

A second sticking point is the ban on characterizing flavors.

From The Daily Beast

The major sticking point is Democratic insistence on providing a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants.

From The Daily Beast

Another sticking point is a case in New York she brought against gun manufacturers.

From The Daily Beast

The twin ex-Judge-Advocates, at length, brace each other up to the sticking-point and venture on an appeal to the public.

From Project Gutenberg

The yellow jaw gaped, filled with blood, and the poised knife fell at his side, sticking point down in the flooring.

From Project Gutenberg

Alexander had held to the sticking-point the quailing energies of spent men for more than six agonized hours.

From Project Gutenberg

But the third night both arrived at the trysting spot with determination screwed up to the sticking point.

From Project Gutenberg

Nay, there are indubitable proofs that his personal courage could not always be “screwed up to the sticking point.”

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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