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Synonyms

frustrated

American  
[fruhs-trey-tid] / ˈfrʌs treɪ tɪd /

adjective

  1. disappointed; thwarted.

    an announcer who was a frustrated actor.

  2. having a feeling of or filled with frustration; dissatisfied.

    His unresolved difficulty left him absolutely frustrated.


frustrated British  
/ frʌˈstreɪtɪd /

adjective

  1. having feelings of dissatisfaction or lack of fulfilment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of frustrated

First recorded in 1635–45; frustrate + -ed 2

Explanation

Frustrated is an adjective that describes feeling disappointed and unsuccessful. If you try to fix your car for hours and hours but it still won't work, you will feel frustrated. People become frustrated when they fail to achieve their goals, both large and small. If you are constantly frustrated, it can build up into anger or bitterness. People sometimes need to vent, or express themselves, when they are very frustrated, in order to let it go. But if you can't shake that frustrated feeling, maybe a change is in order — a new job, different friends, maybe even a cat to remind you that calm is good.

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Vocabulary lists containing frustrated

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Frustrated fans have gone shirtless during the Angels’ homestand and chanted for owner Arte Moreno to “sell the team.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026

Frustrated by traffic, Musk founded The Boring Company in 2016, initially as a SpaceX subsidiary, with grand promises of transforming urban transportation through a network of underground tunnels.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Frustrated by lack of city attention, an L.A. homeowner hired her housekeeper to help clean the neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

Frustrated career aspirations and economic dissatisfaction are common among college graduates, perhaps unusually so today.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Frustrated with drawing, I switched to the printmaking department, where I overturned great buckets of ink.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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