barrier to progress
1
3.9
- noun
:
barrera al progreso
- However, every year about 500 people with disabilities are caught up in disputes with local authorities about ordinary residence, and this can represent the most significant barrier to progress.
Examples
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Lack of political will was listed as the largest barrier to progress, followed by vested interest in current approaches, and the complexity of the issues.
Blog text (24) -
He also referred to the barriers to progress Puerto Ricans faced.
Academic text (1997) -
Supervision was highly structured, agenda-driven, and focused on reviewing teachers' progress in meeting professional development goals, problem-solving barriers to progress, and planning for next steps.
Academic text (2011) -
Beyond giving lip service to flex work options and diversity initiatives, law firms and their clients need to take a long, hard look at the systems, structures, and cultural barriers to progress in this area.
Academic text (2017) -
Because the barriers to progress appear to have all but crumbled, it is common to assume that any of the remaining differences are due to innate biological factors.
Academic text (2007) -
This is not to say that domestic politics do not play a key role in Taiwan policy; rather, the domestic political environment tends to serve as an inhibitor or barrier to progress on Taiwan rather than a catalyst.
Academic text (2014) -
The lack of funding has become a significant barrier to progress in the project's development.
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Many students face various barriers to progress due to inadequate resources and support.
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The outdated technology presented a considerable barrier to progress for the company's innovations.
Synonyms
503
5.1
A situation that stops progress or makes it hard to continue
343
3.4
A thing or problem that makes it hard to reach a goal
309
3.7
Something that stops or makes it hard to make progress
222
4.8
Something that stops or slows progress and makes a task hard
88
3.8
An obstacle or problem you must overcome
51
7.0
Something that stops or slows progress
50
3.9
A problem that stops progress or makes a goal hard to reach
21
5.7
A thing that makes it difficult to do something, like an injury or traffic
18
4.4
A problem that stops progress or makes moving forward difficult
An object that blocks a path or movement
Antonyms
How Obstructive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'something that prevents improvement or advancement' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'barrier' (an obstacle) with 'to progress' (toward improvement); the preposition 'to' simply links the obstacle to its target. This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase following common patterns across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Barrier to progress gives a clear picture: a physical barrier on a road or path that stops people or vehicles from moving toward progress. So it means 'something that stops improvement or moving forward'.