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Stymie vs Obstacle - What's the difference?

stymie | obstacle |

As nouns the difference between stymie and obstacle

is that stymie is an obstacle or obstruction while obstacle is something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress.

As a verb stymie

is to thwart or stump; to cause to fail or to leave hopelessly puzzled, confused, or stuck.

stymie

English

Alternative forms

* stimy, stymy

Noun

(en noun)
  • An obstacle or obstruction.
  • (golf) A situation where an opponent's ball is directly in the way of one's own ball and the hole, on the putting green.

    • Verb

    (d)
  • To thwart or stump; to cause to fail or to leave hopelessly puzzled, confused, or stuck.
    • They had lost the key, and the lock stymied the first three locksmiths they called.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=January 21, author=Joyce Cohen, title=Beauty in the Eye of the Renter, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=I was making such a drama in my head it was stymieing me. }}

    obstacle

    English

    (Obstacle course)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress
    • A big obstacle to understanding the manual was that it had been poorly translated from the Japanese.

    Synonyms

    * impediment * hindrance * hurdle * See also