athwart
Americanadverb
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from side to side; crosswise.
-
Nautical.
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at right angles to the fore-and-aft line; across.
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broadside to the wind because of equal and opposite pressures of wind and tide.
a ship riding athwart.
-
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perversely; awry; wrongly.
preposition
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from side to side of; across.
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Nautical. across the direction or course of.
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in opposition to; contrary to.
adverb
preposition
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across the path or line of (esp a ship)
-
in opposition to; against
Etymology
Origin of athwart
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at a- 1, thwart
Explanation
Use the adverb athwart to describe something that reaches or stretches across, or from one side to another. You might hang a "Happy Birthday" banner athwart your office doorway to celebrate your coworker's birthday. You can describe things that stretch sideways or span between objects as athwart, and you can also use the word to mean "in opposition to" or "against." For example, you might say that your plans to paint the house dark gray run athwart your roommate's plan, which involves hot pink with gold trim. In the fifteenth century, the word was coined by adding a to the word thwart, which comes from the Old Norse root word þvert, or "across."
Vocabulary lists containing athwart
Much Ado About Nothing
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"The Pit and the Pendulum," Vocabulary from the short story
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The Wind in the Willows
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His war aims run athwart the Napoleonic dictum: If you set out to take Vienna, take Vienna.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
Caivano elaborated on Washington's various interventionist economic policies, including a number of legislative and executive measures that were initially very unpopular because they seemed to run athwart the notion of a government with limited power.
From Salon • Oct. 11, 2024
The urge to stand athwart AI, yelling “stop!”
From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2023
Today, some schools — generally newer and smaller — advertise themselves directly as standing athwart history.
From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2021
Riverrun sat athwart the Lannister supply lines, Jason Mallister pointed out; let them bide their time, denying Lord Tywin fresh levies and provisions while they strengthened their defenses and rested their weary troops.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
