athwart 1 of 2

1
as in through
from one side to the other of an intervening space after it enters the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane is predicted to advance athwart to the Texas coastline

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Relevance
2
as in diagonally
in a line or direction running from corner to corner we hung the twisted strips of crepe paper athwart to the floor and ceiling so that they formed giant crosses on all four walls

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

athwart

2 of 2

preposition

as in across
to the opposite side of athwart the road was farmland as far as the eye could see

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of athwart
Preposition
An obstructionist Supreme Court, however, stood athwart the New Deal’s path. John Fabian Witt, The New Republic, 26 Aug. 2022 One of the world’s largest container ships was wedged athwart the Suez canal on March 24th, apparently blown off course by high winds. The Economist, 24 Mar. 2021 One of the world’s largest container ships was wedged athwart the Suez Canal on March 23rd, blown off course by high winds. The Economist, 27 Mar. 2021 The outgoing Trump administration is standing athwart a massive investment management trend. Michael Taylor, ExpressNews.com, 2 Dec. 2020 Her mother, feeling abandoned by her constantly traveling husband, had affairs; her father’s heartfelt liberalism would run athwart of the postwar Red Scare. Elsa Dixler, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Apr. 2020 Indeed, instead of ostentatious acts of helping people, the administration almost preferred being seen standing athwart attempts to provide relief. Alex Pareene, The New Republic, 20 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for athwart
Adverb
  • The ordinance was rushed through by abusing the emergency ordinance process.
    Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 4 July 2025
  • Even for those following every step of the way in the eight-week trial, from jury selection to witness testimony, closing arguments and jury deliberations, there were a lot of claims and evidence to parse through.
    KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Adverb
  • But pulling the unit back farther could yield a viewing rectangle that stretches 150 inches diagonally.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 July 2025
  • The developer plans to build a new collector road, North San Marco Way, which would diagonally cross the development on the north side of Franklin Road between Black Cat and Ten Mile roads, but expects that this new road would not have been enough to generate the necessary visibility.
    Marcus Dorsey, Idaho Statesman, 20 Mar. 2025
Preposition
  • Wednesday's incident came amid a 700% increase in assaults against immigration and other federal agents carrying out operations across the country.
    Louis Casiano , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
  • Unveiled during a late-night livestream, Musk claimed the new chatbot outperforms most graduate students across disciplines and now supports improved voice interactions.
    Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Adverb
  • Maybe a touch harder, but once that was over, that’s the whole puzzle folks.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • One boss fight in particular should’ve been a greater challenge, but between DK and Pauline dropping literal bombs on the foe, the encounter was over in moments.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2025
Preposition
  • This leaves around £300M that will need to be sought in private investment now that Cain has dropped out.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 1 July 2025
  • Animals can tell the world around them has gotten louder, too.
    Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 1 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Athwart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/athwart. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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