obstructive
/əbˈstɹʌk.tɪv/adjective, noun
obstructive is spelled O-B-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-V-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, obstructive means “Causing obstructions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in obstructive?
| Letters | 11: O-B-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is obstructive?
Obstructive appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce obstructive?
- UK /əbˈstɹʌk.tɪv/
- US /əbˈstɹʌk.tɪv/
- US /ɑbˈstɹʌk.tɪv/
Obstructive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-obstructive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with obstructive?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as obstructive from its last stressed vowel (/ʌktɪv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of obstructive
- more obstructive comparative
- most obstructive superlative
- obstructives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does obstructive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Causing obstructions.
I wanted to see his report on me, but my manager was being obstructive.
noun
- 1
One who obstructs something.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Obstructive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense causing obstructions:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | obstructif |
| Portuguese | obstrutivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does obstructive come from?
From obstruct + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).