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impediment

noun

Simple meaning

Something that makes progress difficult or impossible.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ihmpehduhmuhnt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ɪmˈpɛdəmənt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. chiefly in the plural

    Baggage, especially that of an army; impedimenta.

  2. A hindrance; that which impedes or obstructs progress; impedance.

  3. A disability, especially one affecting the hearing or speech.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

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Common Patterns and Combinations

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speech impedimentserious impedimentmajor impedimentgreat impedimentlegal impedimentsome impedimentlawful impediment

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Word Family

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Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • diriment impedimentnounCompound term

    An impediment that invalidates a marriage (such as the existence of a prior marriage).

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: baggage or especially that of an army

impedimentaRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.