thwart

[ thwawrt ]
See synonyms for: thwartthwartedthwarterthwartest on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to oppose successfully; prevent from accomplishing a purpose.

  2. to frustrate or baffle (a plan, purpose, etc.).

  1. Archaic.

    • to cross.

    • to extend across.

noun
  1. a seat across a boat, especially one used by a rower.

  2. a transverse member spreading the gunwales of a canoe or the like.

adjective
  1. passing or lying crosswise or across; cross; transverse.

  2. perverse; obstinate.

  1. adverse; unfavorable.

preposition, adverb
  1. across; athwart.

Origin of thwart

1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English thwert (adverb), from Old Norse thvert “across,” neuter of thverr “transverse”; cognate with Old English thweorh “crooked, cross,” Gothic thwairhs “cross, angry”

synonym study For thwart

1. Thwart, frustrate, baffle imply preventing one, more or less completely, from accomplishing a purpose. Thwart and frustrate apply to purposes, actions, plans, etc., baffle, to the psychological state of the person thwarted. Thwart suggests stopping one by opposing, blocking, or in some way running counter to one's efforts. Frustrate implies rendering all attempts or efforts useless or ineffectual, so that nothing ever comes of them. Baffle suggests causing defeat by confusing, puzzling, or perplexing, so that a situation seems too hard a problem to understand or solve.

Other words for thwart

Other words from thwart

  • thwart·ed·ly, adverb
  • thwarter, noun
  • un·thwart·ed, adjective
  • un·thwart·ing, adjective

Words Nearby thwart

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use thwart in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thwart

thwart

/ (θwɔːt) /


verb
  1. to oppose successfully or prevent; frustrate: they thwarted the plan

  2. obsolete to be or move across

noun
  1. nautical a seat lying across a boat and occupied by an oarsman

adjective
  1. passing or being situated across

  2. archaic perverse or stubborn

preposition, adverb
  1. obsolete across

Origin of thwart

1
C13: from Old Norse thvert, from thverr transverse; related to Old English thweorh crooked, Old High German twerh transverse

Derived forms of thwart

  • thwartedly, adverb
  • thwarter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012