ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Athwart

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /əˈθwɔːt/ · Part of speech adverb

Quick meaning: Athwart is an adverb meaning From side to side, often in an oblique manner; across or over.

Meaning

From side to side, often in an oblique manner; across or over.

More Meanings

  1. Across the path of something, so as to impede progress.
  2. (figuratively) Against the anticipated or appropriate course of something; improperly, perversely, wrongly.
  3. From one side to the other side of; across.
  4. Across the course or path of, so as to meet; hence (figuratively), to the attention of.
  5. Across the course or path of, so as to oppose.
  6. Across; through.
  7. Opposed to.

Example Sentences

Above, the stars appeared to move slowly athwart.
We placed one log on the ground, and another athwart, forming a crude cross.
[…] Frenzy, fierce-ey'd child of moping pain, / Darts her hot lightning flaſh athvvart the brain.
Just as the first ray of the rising sun shot like a golden arrow athwart this storied desolation we gained the further gateway of the outer wall, […]

Synonyms for athwart

Depending on context, synonyms include overthwart, transversely, awry, crosswise, obliquely, aslant.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include obliquely, aslant, crosswise, hawse, thwartwise, thwart.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.