What does obstruent mean?
Obstruent is a formal word with two related uses. As an adjective, it describes something that blocks or hinders progress, communication, or movement, although it is much less common in everyday English than words such as obstructive, hindering, or blocking. As a noun, it has a specialized meaning in phonetics: a consonant sound produced by completely or nearly completely obstructing the airflow. This category includes stops, fricatives, and affricates, such as /p/, /f/, and /tʃ/, while excluding sonorant sounds such as /m/, /n/, and /l/. The word is useful when discussing the physical manner in which a consonant is articulated or when describing a formal, abstract barrier to action.
Blocking, hindering, or tending to obstruct progress, movement, or communication.
"The committee's obstructive tactics delayed the decision."
Formal and relatively uncommon in general prose; it is more common in technical, legal, or political contexts.
A consonant sound produced by a complete or near-complete obstruction of airflow, such as a stop, fricative, or affricate.
"The analysis identified the final consonant as a voiceless obstruent."
A technical term in phonetics and phonology, usually used in discussions of consonant articulation or sound classification.
The plural is used in phonetics when referring to a class or set of obstruent consonant sounds.
"Stops, fricatives, and affricates are all obstruents."
Obstruents are consonants that make themselves heard by getting in the way of the air, from the hard stop of /t/ to the hiss of /s/.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does obstruent come from?
The word comes through Latin from the root struere, meaning to build, and the prefix ob-, meaning against or in the way of. In the Latin obstruere, the elements combine with the sense of building or placing something in the way, leading to the English family obstruct, obstruction, and obstructive. The technical noun sense developed from the idea of an airflow being obstructed during the production of a consonant sound.
Related word forms
How obstruent is actually used
The adjective is uncommon in ordinary English and is more typical of formal or technical writing. The noun is primarily a term in phonetics and phonology. In sound classification, the term distinguishes consonants made with an obstruction from sonorant sounds such as nasals and approximants.
Easily confused with obstruent
Obstruct is a verb meaning to block or hinder, whereas an obstruent is primarily an adjective describing something that blocks or, in phonetics, a consonant produced by obstructing the airflow.