obstructionism
/əbˈstrʌkʃənɪzəm
/noun [mass noun]
The practice of deliberately impeding or delaying the course of legal, legislative, or other procedures.The party surely dread the kind of obstructionism they themselves practiced during the last Congress....
- This is the very definition of obstructionism: To delay a foregone conclusion for the sake of a petty protest.
- To the general astonishment the Duke d' Orléans, head of the junior branch of the royal family and heir to a long tradition of obstructionism, suddenly rose and protested that this was not legal.
Derivatives
obstructionist
/ noun & adjective ...- An aggressive, obstructionist Duma (Russia's lower house of parliament) dominated by Communists blocked any attempt at reform.
- They should crusade for changes in Senate procedures that would prevent an obstructionist minority from delaying action indefinitely.
- We can't ask others to play by rules we write concerning the global economy, only to then be obstructionists when it comes to necessary action to protect the environment.