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, adjective

Words nearby thwart

Example sentences from the Web for thwarting

British Dictionary definitions for thwarting

Derived forms of thwart

thwartedly, adverb thwarter, noun

Word Origin for thwart

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