obstacle

• "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"
• "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"
• "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"

Synonyms

• obstructionany structure that makes progress difficult ; the physical condition of blocking or filling a passage with an obstruction ; something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; the act of obstructing; getting in someone's way