What does thwarted mean?
Thwarted means prevented from achieving a goal, completing a task, or making progress. It is commonly used for plans, efforts, ambitions, and attempts that have been frustrated by an obstacle, an opposing person, or unfavorable circumstances. As a past-tense verb, it describes the act of preventing something: heavy rain may thwart an outdoor event, while unexpected complications can thwart a carefully planned project. As an adjective, it commonly appears before nouns such as plans, efforts, ambitions, and attempts, describing something that has been frustrated. The word is formal but broadly understandable and often suggests more than a minor inconvenience, although it can refer to either deliberate interference or impersonal circumstances. Its useful image is that of being turned aside from a chosen course, making it a precise and vivid choice for describing the frustration of a plan that cannot proceed.
To prevent someone or something from succeeding, proceeding, or achieving an intended result.
"The authorities attempted to thwart the investigation, but it continued."
The past tense and past participle form is thwarted. It often implies an obstacle or action that interferes with progress.
Frustrated or unsuccessful because plans, efforts, or hopes have been prevented from developing.
"The expedition was abandoned after a series of thwarted attempts to cross the ice."
Usually used attributively, especially with nouns such as plans, efforts, ambitions, and attempts.
Thwarted began as a word for turning something aside, so its modern sense of being blocked still carries the image of making someone veer off course.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does thwarted come from?
The word comes through Middle English from Old English þwertan, meaning “to turn aside.” It developed from a Germanic root associated with turning, which also underlies related forms in older English and Scots. In modern usage, thwarted retains the earlier sense of redirecting or diverting someone from a course, while emphasizing the frustrating result: an intended path is blocked and the desired outcome is prevented.
Related word forms
How thwarted is actually used
Generally formal, though widely used in ordinary writing and speech. It often suggests that an obstacle or opposing action has interfered with progress, and it can carry a slightly stronger sense of deliberate obstruction than simply being blocked.