nihil obstat

From Latin nihil (“nothing”) + obstat (“hinders”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪhɪl ˈɒbstæt/

nihil obstat (plural nihil obstats)

1. A declaration of no objection; (specifically) a declaration used by the Catholic Church to indicate a book, initiative, or appointment to an office has been found to not breach religious or moral norms.

nihil obstat

1. (Roman Catholicism) This book has been found not to have breached religious or moral norms.

• níhil óbstat

• IPA^(key): /ˌniil ˈobstat/ [ˌni.il ˈoβ̞s.t̪at̪]
• Syllabification: ni‧hil obs‧tat

nihil obstat m (uncountable)

1. nihil obstat
2. synonym of beneplácito

• “nihil obstat”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “nihil obstat”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, 2023, →ISBN