as in frustrated
to prevent from achieving a goal
a coalition of grassroots organizations thwarted the company's efforts to get approval for a new power plant
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Recent Examples of thwarted
One miscue was a fumble into the end zone from the two-yard line, which thwarted a long drive late in the third quarter.
—
Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
The original paint job to remove the city’s colorful LGBTQ+ pride intersection was thwarted by cars and rain — leaving a smeared mess of paint on the street that raised safety concerns.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
The trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot the Republican presidential nominee.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The Germans had placed several obstacles along the beach, hidden under the high-tide water, that thwarted Allied efforts even to reach the beach, let alone cross it and scale the hills and cliffs leading to higher ground where the Germans were positioned.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Kohberger ultimately accepted a plea deal, avoiding the death penalty and receiving four consecutive life sentences, plus additional years, a move that split the victims’ families between those who welcome closure to those who say justice was thwarted.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Despite the growing momentum in support of a ban, there's still significant opposition to it — the same opposition that has thwarted past attempts to enact limits on congressional stock trading beyond those contained in the 2012 STOCK Act.
—Emily Wilkins, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
For them, self-determination is not a centuries-old tradition but an objective that has been repeatedly thwarted.
—Lauren Grodstein, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2025
But his emotional appeals and political lifting repeatedly failed to muster enough support in Congress as he was continually thwarted by Republicans and other gun rights advocates who argued it was wrongheaded to regulate firearms for law-abiding citizens.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
The original paint job to remove the city’s colorful LGBTQ+ pride intersection was thwarted by cars and rain — leaving a smeared mess of paint on the street that raised safety concerns.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
The trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot the Republican presidential nominee.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The Germans had placed several obstacles along the beach, hidden under the high-tide water, that thwarted Allied efforts even to reach the beach, let alone cross it and scale the hills and cliffs leading to higher ground where the Germans were positioned.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Kohberger ultimately accepted a plea deal, avoiding the death penalty and receiving four consecutive life sentences, plus additional years, a move that split the victims’ families between those who welcome closure to those who say justice was thwarted.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Despite the growing momentum in support of a ban, there's still significant opposition to it — the same opposition that has thwarted past attempts to enact limits on congressional stock trading beyond those contained in the 2012 STOCK Act.
—Emily Wilkins, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
For them, self-determination is not a centuries-old tradition but an objective that has been repeatedly thwarted.
—Lauren Grodstein, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2025
But his emotional appeals and political lifting repeatedly failed to muster enough support in Congress as he was continually thwarted by Republicans and other gun rights advocates who argued it was wrongheaded to regulate firearms for law-abiding citizens.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thwarted
Verb
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Economic insecurity and political corruption have for years left many of Nepal’s youth frustrated, setting the stage for today’s protest movement.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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As a baby boomer and an amateur genealogist, I am continually frustrated by the lack of interest my grandchildren’s generation seems to have in learning about their family history — particularly mine.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The investigation has been hampered by peculiar challenges, though, perhaps none greater than the fact that the entire city in which the crime occurred has vanished.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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Dry conditions have hampered quail reproduction across parts of Arizona, leading to concerns about future populations.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Advertisement But days after the shooting, authorities have yet to discover a coherent motive for the killing of Kirk—the founder of Turning Point USA and a popular figure on the American right—and experts on extremism are similarly baffled by the possible motivations.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
13 Sep. 2025
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The result is a set of policies that has baffled some China experts, or at least raised questions about the president’s stance on America’s friendly rival.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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My wife jokes about the cat having foiled our murder plot yet again.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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One researcher claimed authorities could have foiled the attack by unearthing connections between hijackers through public information in databases.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thwarted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thwarted. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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