Synonyms of thwart
120 similar words · 1 opposite word
Another word for thwart is foil. Other synonyms of thwart are scuttle, disconcert, traverse and cross. The opposite of thwart is promote.
Synonyms and similar words for thwart
adjectiveOf people: having a tendency to oppose; obstinate, perverse, stubborn.
- cross-grained
- frowardDisobedient, contrary, unmanageable; difficult to deal with; with an evil disposition.
- adamant
- ardent
- grim
- untiring
- bent onCompletely determined; obstinate.
- bloody-mindedObstinate; stubborn.
- bullheadedUnreasonably stubborn.
- certain
- chronic
- confirmed
- determinedDecided; resolute, possessing much determination; dogged.
- diehard
- doggedStubbornly persevering, steadfast.
- hard-hearted
- hard-nosed
- hardheadedStubborn; wilful.
- headstrongDetermined to do as one pleases, and not as others want.
- immovableSteadfast in purpose or intention: unalterable, unyielding.
- incalcitrantRecalcitrant.
- inflexible
- insistent
- intractable
- intransigentUnwilling to compromise or moderate a position; unreasonable; stubborn.
- intrepidFearless; bold; brave.
- inveterate
- mulishCharacteristic of a mule; stubborn, obstinate, or intractable.
- obdurate
- obstinate
- obstreperousStubbornly defiant; disobedient; resistant to authority or control (whether in a noisy manner or not).
- peremptory
- persistent
- pertinacious
- pigheadedObstinate and stubborn to the point of stupidity.
- recalcitrant
- refractoryObstinate and unruly; strongly opposed to something.
- resolute
- resolvedDetermined; fixed in one's purpose.
- rigidUncompromising.
- self-willed
- stalwart
- staunchStubborn, intransigent.
- steadfast
- steady
- stubborn
- stubborn as a muleExtremely stubborn.
- tenacious
- terminal
- thranStubborn; obstinate; pigheaded.
- toughOf a person, stubborn or persistent; capable of stubbornness or persistence.
- truculentDefiant or uncompromising.
- unbending
- uncompromising
- unyieldingNot giving in; not bending; stubborn.
- vehementShowing strong feelings; passionate; forceful or intense.
- wilful
- willfulAmerican standard spelling of wilful.
- irrefragable obsoleteOf a person: obstinate, stubborn.
- peevish obsoleteObstinately in the wrong; perverse, stubborn.
- sullen obsoleteObstinate; intractable.
adjectiveOf situations or things: adverse, unfavourable, unlucky.
- unpropitiousNot propitious; unfavourable, untimely.
- untoward
- down on one's luckUnlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.
- fortuneless
- ill-bodingWhich bodes evil; portending bad things.
- ill-fatedUnlucky; doomed.
- ill-starredDoomed to a bad fate; hapless.
- inauspiciousNot auspicious; ill-omened.
- infelicitous
- infortunate
- hapless
- luckless
- mischancefulUnlucky.
- peakUnlucky; unfortunate.
- snakebit
- unchancy UK
- unfavourableNot auspicious; ill-boding.
- unfortunate
- unlucky
- wanchancy UK
- misadventurous obsoleteUnfortunate; doomed.
- misfortuned archaicUnlucky, unfortunate.
- unhappy datedNot lucky; unlucky.
verbTo cause to fail; to frustrate, to prevent.
- balkTo disappoint, frustrate, or check.
- foilTo prevent (something) from being accomplished.
- spoil
- cross
- discomfitTo defeat the plans or hopes of; to frustrate; disconcert.
- disconcertTo frustrate, discomfit.
- baffleTo defeat, frustrate, or thwart (someone or their efforts, plans, etc.); to confound, to foil.
- scuttleTo undermine or thwart oneself or one's position or property, especially deliberately.
- confoundTo defeat, to frustrate, to thwart.
- dash
- traverseTo act against; to thwart or obstruct.
- hamstring
- mock
- queerTo render an endeavor or agreement ineffective or null.
- torpedo
verbTo hinder or obstruct by placing (something) in the way of; to block, to impede, to oppose.
- behedgeTo surround; beset; plague; hinder.
- blunt
- crimp
- foreclose formal
- delay
- diminish
- forestay
- retroact
- interfere
- intervene
- forslow
- frustrateTo hinder or thwart.
- get in the wayTo obstruct, hinder, or interfere.
- hamper
- handicap
- hinderTo make difficult to accomplish; to act as an obstacle; to frustrate.
- hold up
- hurtTo damage, harm, impair, undermine, impede.
- impair
- impedeTo get in the way of; to hinder.
- incommodeTo cause (someone or something) inconvenience; to hinder, to impede, to inconvenience, to obstruct.
Opposite of thwart
verbTo cause to fail; to frustrate, to prevent.
Meaning of thwart
- adjective Placed or situated across something else; cross, oblique, transverse.
- adjective Of people: having a tendency to oppose; obstinate, perverse, stubborn.
- adjective Of situations or things: adverse, unfavourable, unlucky.
thwart in other languages
Questions about synonyms of thwart
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: thwart (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of thwart.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/thwart. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.