Meanings
plural obstructionists
- Someone who systematically obstructs the actions of others.
"And you, sir, have lived an unimaginative obstructionist and never can hope now to emerge from it."
1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC1 more example
The obstructionists didn't have their own plan, but they counted, successfully, on delay to frustrate any alternative.
2020 June 23, John Bolton, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 395- Someone who attempts to impede the progress of legislation.
comparative more obstructionist · superlative most obstructionist
- Pertaining to obstructionism.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone who systematically obstructs some action that others want to take
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
obstructionist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obstructionist
“obstructionist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obstructionist. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obstructionist,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obstructionist.
Source: obstructionist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.