BARRIERS Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

barriers

noun

plural of barrier

as in fences

a physical object that blocks the way there was a big barrier plastered with signs saying "Keep Out" around the trash compactor

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of barriers Both promise to boost supply chain resilience — be that against climate change or geopolitical unrest — but face significant barriers to scale. — Bella Webb, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 The harder tasks are to integrate capital markets, reduce regulatory differences between member states, and dismantle barriers to cross-border investment and commerce. — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026 The document outlines the need to address barriers to care women face because of cultural, racial and socioeconomic factors. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 19 Oct. 2026 The executives also discussed how technology has lowered the barriers to entry. — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026 Few people feel affection for insurance companies or hospital bureaucracies that often function less as providers of care than as barriers to it. — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026 The effects crew also rebuilt Rocky’s transparent xenonite barriers digitally to remove reflections, hide operators and maintain the complicated play of light through the set. — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026 There are of course a whole variety of barriers to solving that problem, some structural, some constitutional, all intensely political. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 According to the researchers, the next steps involve expanding the 100-device prototype into larger arrays and developing protective barriers to prevent environmental moisture from interfering with its operation. — New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barriers

Noun

They are usually found on tree trunks and branches but can also form on outdoor furniture, fences or homes.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
The trade-deadline blockbusters and late-night deals all seemed at the time like the Sixers were swinging for the fences.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of fences

Noun

Meanwhile, North Korea has been adding mines, barbed wire fences, tactical roads, anti-tank walls and other fortifications to what's already one of the world's most heavily armed borders.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
From Mojave Ghost to Bal D’Afrique, its scents line the fragrance walls of the industry’s most fabulous faces, practically fly off retailers’s virtual shelves, and admittedly, help set the standard of what an indie brand could be.

— Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of walls

Noun

In Italy, a march in central Milan on Saturday over living costs also ended violently, with rioters attacking the police with stones and paving blocks and setting fire to barricades.

— Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Officers in riot gear clashed with youths who set up street barricades using burning trash bins.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of barricades

Noun

Icy weather, snowstorms, obstructive foliage and rugged terrain along the wild Rockies were just some of the obstacles Ben Nickell and Anne Koski faced on a 10-year journey to climb the highest point in each of Idaho’s 44 counties.

— Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026
Long before launch, the team faced obstacles that nearly thwarted the endeavor — chiefly, two rejections from NASA — before finally securing the green light for the $1 billion project under the New Frontiers Program in 2011.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of obstacles

Browse Nearby Words

barrier reefs

barriers

barring

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“Barriers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barriers. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of barriers

noun

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