barrier vs impediment

barrier and impediment both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
barrier	Yes	No	No	No
impediment	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, impediment is a hypernym of barrier; that is, impediment is a word with a broader meaning than barrier:

Other hypernyms of barrier include impedimenta, obstructer, obstruction, obstructor.

barrier (noun)	impediment (noun)
a structure or object that impedes free movement	any structure that makes progress difficult
any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective	something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress
anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or access