Standard Lemma guide

impediment

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P EH1 D AH0 M AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A hindrance; that which impedes or obstructs progress; impedance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A disability, especially one affecting the hearing or speech.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Working in a noisy factory left me with a slight hearing impediment.
  • 1730, Joseph Addison, The Evidences of the Christian Religion, London: J. Tonson, Additional Discourses, Section 10, p. 308, Let us suppose a person blind and deaf from his birth, who being grown to man’s estate, is by the Dead-palsy, or some other cause, deprived of his Feeling, Tasting, and Smelling; and at the same time has the impediment of his Hearing removed, and the film taken from his eyes [...]

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Baggage, especially that of an army; impedimenta.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

any structure that makes progress difficult

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: obstruction, obstructor, obstructer, impedimenta

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: structure, construction

Narrower terms: bar, barrier, blockade, blockage, block, closure, occlusion, stop, stoppage, hindrance, hinderance, hitch, preventive, preventative, encumbrance, incumbrance, interference, obstacle, tumbler

5

noun

Meaning 5

something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hindrance, hinderance, deterrent, balk, baulk, check, handicap

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: difficulty

Narrower terms: albatross, millstone, bind, diriment impediment, drag, obstacle, obstruction, straitjacket

History

Etymology

From Middle English impediment, borrowed from Latin impedimentum.

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَائِق (ʕāʔiq) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Arabic: عَقَبَة (ʕaqaba) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Arabic: إِعَاقَة (ʔiʕāqa) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Belarusian: перашко́да (pjeraškóda) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Belarusian: перапо́на (pjerapóna) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Bulgarian: пре́чка (préčka) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Bulgarian: спъ́нка (spǎ́nka) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Bulgarian: препя́тствие (prepjátstvie) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Catalan: impediment — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Chinese Mandarin: 障礙 /障碍 (zhàng'ài) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Cimbrian: briighe — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Czech: překážka — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Dutch: hindernis — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Dutch: obstakel — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Dutch: belemmering — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Dutch: beletsel — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Dutch: impediment — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Esperanto: malhelpo — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Finnish: este — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Finnish: vastus — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • French: empêchement — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • French: irritant — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • French: entrave — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • German: Hindernis — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • German: Behinderung — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌶𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (marzeins) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Greek: εμπόδιο (empódio) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ancient Greek: ἐγκοπή (enkopḗ) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ancient Greek: ἔχμα (ékhma) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Hungarian: akadály — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ido: impedo — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ido: impedivo — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Japanese: 障害 (shōgai) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Korean: 장애 (jang'ae) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Korean: 장해 (janghae) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Latin: impedīmentum — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Latin: ōbex — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Macedonian: пречка (prečka) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Macedonian: препрека (prepreka) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Malayalam: തടസ്സം (taṭassaṁ) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Plautdietsch: Hindaniss — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Polish: przeszkoda — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Polish: trudność — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Polish: utrudnienie — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Polish: zawada — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Portuguese: impedimento — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Romanian: impediment — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Romanian: piedică — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Romanian: obstacol — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Russian: поме́ха (poméxa) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Russian: препя́тствие (prepjátstvije) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Scottish Gaelic: amaladh — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Serbo-Croatian: пре̏прека — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Serbo-Croatian: пре̏пона — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Serbo-Croatian: prȅpreka — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Serbo-Croatian: prȅpona — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Slovak: prekážka — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Slovene: ovira — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Spanish: estorbo — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Swedish: hinder — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Tagalog: bagko — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Telugu: ఆటంకం (āṭaṅkaṁ) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Telugu: అడ్డం (aḍḍaṁ) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ukrainian: перешко́да (pereškóda) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ukrainian: перепо́на (perepóna) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ukrainian: прити́чина (prytýčyna) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Ukrainian: зава́да (zaváda) — hindrance; that which impedes progress
  • Czech: vada — disability, especially one affecting the hearing or speech
  • Finnish: vamma — disability, especially one affecting the hearing or speech
  • Māori: hauātanga — disability, especially one affecting the hearing or speech
  • Bulgarian: обо́з (obóz) — baggage, especially that of an army
  • Russian: обо́з (obóz) — baggage, especially that of an army