Origin of thwart
1200–50; Middle English
thwert (adv.) < Old Norse
thvert across, neuter of
thverr transverse; cognate with Old English
thweorh crooked, cross, Gothic
thwairhs cross, angry
SYNONYMS FOR thwart
1
hinder,
obstruct.
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 FROM thwart
thwart·ed·ly, adverb thwart·er, noun un·thwart·ed, adjective un·thwart·ing, adjectiveWords nearby thwart
Example sentences from the Web for thwart
British Dictionary definitions for thwart
Derived forms of thwart
thwartedly, adverb thwarter, nounWord Origin for thwart
C13: from Old Norse
thvert, from
thverr transverse; related to Old English
thweorh crooked, Old High German
twerh transverse