| Main Entry: | dead end |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | cul-de-sac; deadlock |
Synonyms: |
Catch-22, blank wall, blind alley, corner, draw, impasse, nowhere to turn, obstacle, road block, stalemate, standoff, stumbling block |
| Main Entry: | blind |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hidden or covered |
Synonyms: |
blocked, closed, closed at one end, concealed, dark, dead-end, dim, disguised, impassable, leading nowhere, obscured, obstructed, secluded, unmarked, without egress, without exit |
Antonyms: |
open, revealed, uncovered |
| Main Entry: | deadlock |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | stalemate, impasse |
Synonyms: |
Catch-22, box*, cessation, checkmate, corner, dead end, dead heat, dilemma, draw, full stop, gridlock, halt, hole, pause, pickle, plight, posture, predicament, quandary, standoff, standstill, tie, wall* |
| Notes: | stalemate does not end - it is the outcome (stale in stalemate is from Anglo-Norman meaning 'be placed'); a standoff or deadlock can end |
Antonyms: |
agreement, breakthrough |
| Main Entry: | difficulty |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | problem; situation requiring great effort |
Synonyms: |
adversity, arduousness, awkwardness, barricade, check, complication, crisis, crux, dead end, deadlock, deep water, dilemma, distress, emergency, exigency, fix*, frustration, hardship, hazard, hindrance, hitch*, hot water, impasse, knot*, labor, laboriousness, mess, misfortune, muddle, obstacle, obstruction, pain, painfulness, paradox, perplexity, pickle, predicament, quagmire, quandary, scrape*, snag*, stew, strain, strait, strenuousness, struggle, stumbling block, tribulation, trouble |
Antonyms: |
calm, ease, felicity, peace, tranquility |
| Main Entry: | draw |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | tie in competition |
Synonyms: |
dead end, dead heat, deadlock, even steven, photo finish, stalemate, standoff, tie |
| Main Entry: | impasse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | stalemate |
Synonyms: |
Catch-22, box*, cessation, corner*, cul-de-sac, dead end, deadlock, dilemma, fix, gridlock, jam, mire*, morass, pause, pickle, plight, predicament, quandary, rest, scrape*, standoff, standstill |
Antonyms: |
agreement, breakthrough |
| Main Entry: | rut |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | routine of daily life |
Synonyms: |
circle, circuit, course, custom, daily grind, dead end, grind*, groove, habit, humdrum*, pace, pattern, performance, practice, procedure, rote, round, system, treadmill, usage, wont |
Antonyms: |
break, difference |
| Main Entry: | standstill |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | stop |
Synonyms: |
arrest, cessation, check, checkmate, corner*, dead end, dead stop, deadlock, delay, gridlock, halt, hole, impasse, inaction, pause, stalemate, standoff, wait |
Antonyms: |
advance, progress |
| Main Entry: | street |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | path upon which travel occurs |
Synonyms: |
artery, avenue, back alley, boulevard, byway, court, dead end, drag*, drive, highway, lane, parkway, passage, pavement, place, road, roadway, route, row, stroll, terrace, thoroughfare, track, trail, turf*, way |
| Main Entry: | stymie |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | frustrate, hinder |
Synonyms: |
balk, block, choke off, confound, corner, crab, cramp, cramp one's style, crimp, cut off, dead-end, defeat, foil, give the run around, hang fire, hang up, hold off, hold up, impede, mystify, nonplus, obstruct, pigeonhole, prevent, put on back burner, put on hold, puzzle, shelve, snooker, stall, stonewall, stump, throw a monkey wrench into, thwart |
Antonyms: |
aid, assist, encourage, help |