# thwart

> English word · Adjective · IPA /θwɔːt/ · frequency rank #26,996

## Definitions
1. Placed or situated across something else; cross, oblique, transverse.
2. Of people: having a tendency to oppose; obstinate, perverse, stubborn.
3. Of situations or things: adverse, unfavourable, unlucky.

## Etymology
From Middle English thwerte, from the adjective thwert (“obstinate, perverse”), from Old Norse þvert, neuter of þverr (“transverse”).
Cognates
The English adjective is cognate with Danish tvær (“sullen, sulky”), Gothic 𐌸𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌷𐍃 (þwairhs, “angry”), Middle Dutch dwers, dwars (modern Dutch dwars (“crosswise, transverse; slantwise, askew; stubbornly disobedient”)), Norwegian tvert, tvært, Old Frisian þweres, dwers (Saterland Frisian twars, West Frisian dwers, dwerz (“across, to the other side of; beyond”)), Middle Low German dwers, dwars (Low German dwars (“contrary; cross-grained”)), Old English þweorh (“transverse; perverse; angry, cross”), Old High German twer (Middle High German twer, quer, modern German quer (“crosswise; cross”)), Swedish tvär (“across, transverse; of a curve: sharp; immediate, sudden; grumpy, stubborn”). It is related to queer; also Proto-West Germanic *þwerh,

## Easily confused with
- **twat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thwart-vs-twat)
- **toward** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thwart-vs-toward)
- **thwarted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thwart-vs-thwarted)
- **that** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/that-vs-thwart)
- **tart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tart-vs-thwart)
- **thar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thar-vs-thwart)

## Common misspellings (10)
`htwart`, `thawrt`, `thhwart`, `thwarrt`, `thwartt`, `thwatr`, `thwrat`, `thwwart`, `tthwart`, `twhart`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thwart