View synonyms for

sticking point

noun

a point, detail, or circumstance causing or likely to cause a stalemate or impasse.
The bill would have gone through the Senate quickly but for one sticking point.
sticking place.

sticking point

noun

a problem or point on which agreement cannot be reached, preventing progress from being made

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Word History and Origins

Origin of sticking point¹

First recorded in 1820–30

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Among the chief sticking points in the talks is staffing levels, with the union contending that a staffing shortage has hurt service and working conditions.

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The issue had been a key sticking point, which has remained unresolved since Brexit.

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Worries over unauthorized use of generative AI were a sticking point in the historic double strike by actors and writers in 2023.

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A Foreign Office source said that a deal was not yet finalised and that a number of sticking points remained.

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The biggest sticking point for actors under the umbrella of AI involved on-camera performers, whose job is often to disappear into the characters they are bringing to life.

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Related Words

warning��

sticking plaster stick in one's craw

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