headwind

From Middle English *hedwind, from Old English hēafodwind, equivalent to head +‎ wind. Cognate with Old Norse höfuðvindr.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛdˌwɪnd/

headwind (plural headwinds)

1. (nautical, physics) A wind that blows directly against the course of a vehicle, like an aircraft, train, or ship.
2. (figurative, by extension) A strong force that impedes or reverses progress.
   • 2022 June 16, Swati Bhat, “India's economic prospects firm despite global headwinds, says RBI”, in Gareth Jones, editor, Reuters‎, archived from the original on 16 June 2022, Macro Matters:

     "Domestic economic activity has been gaining traction in spite of formidable headwinds from external developments," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its monthly bulletin.

   • 2022 June 17, Michelle Goldberg, “The Future Isn’t Female Anymore”, in The New York Times‎:

     At the same time, Faludi, who is working on a new book about the headwinds feminism is facing, suggested that the movement itself has grown sectarian and insular.

headwind (third-person singular simple present headwinds, present participle headwinding, simple past and past participle headwinded)

1. (transitive, uncommon) To blow directly against the course of a vehicle, like an aircraft, train, or ship.
2. (idiomatic, uncommon) To impede or reverse progress.

• tailwind