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thwart

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To oppose or prevent; to cross in direction—implying resistance or obstruction, common in conflict-driven narratives.

Detailed Definition
“Thwart” implies active obstruction—thwarting plans, thwart winds. In poetry, it frames conflict or resistance. The term’s sharpness suits tension. Poets use it to explore how forces collide, where thwarting reveals will or fate, reinforcing themes of agency, obstacle, and the dynamics of opposition in narrative and dramatic contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
“He thwarted the tyrant’s plan,” in a heroic act; In Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “The flighty purpose never is o’ertook / Unless the deed go with it... / Thwart not fate with hesitation”; “She thwarted despair with hope”; “The river thwarted the road”; “Thwart not the child’s curiosity”; The wind thwarted the arrow’s flight.
Additional Notes
“Thwart” implies active obstruction—“thwart my will”—or spatial crossing; in nautical poetry, boats “thwart the tide,” while in drama, fate “thwarts ambition,” framing resistance as both physical and metaphysical.
Also Known As
oppose hinder obstruct
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