frustration

American  

[fruh-strey-shuhn] / frʌˈstreɪ ʃən /

noun

frustrations plural

1. act of frustrating; state of being frustrated.

   the frustration of the president's efforts.

2. an instance of being frustrated.

   to experience a series of frustrations before completing a project.

3. something that frustrates, as an unresolved problem.

4. a feeling of dissatisfaction, often accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting from unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems.

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frustration British  

/ frʌˈstreɪʃən /

noun

1. the condition of being frustrated

2. something that frustrates

3. psychol

   1. the prevention or hindering of a potentially satisfying activity

   2. the emotional reaction to such prevention that may involve aggression

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonfrustration
  noun
• overfrustration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• frustrations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of frustration

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English frustracioun, from Latin frustrātiōn-, stem of frustrātiō “deception, disappointment”; equivalent to frustrate + -ion

Explanation

Frustration is a feeling of annoyance that occurs when something doesn't go as you expect. There are few things more likely to cause frustration for an impatient driver than rush hour traffic. When you can't get what you want, or you're stuck in some way, you'll experience frustration. A spelling bee competitor who almost wins will feel frustration. The thing that causes you to feel this way can also be called a frustration — like your moody sister, the frustration of your home life. Frustration comes from the Latin frustrationem, "a deception or a disappointment."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frustration frustrations

The opaque messaging causes confusion and frustration for fans, especially those looking for a specific ticket to their one and only favorite sport.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

It comes as families have shared frustration that a means-tested benefit to help buy school supplies has not been made available island-wide.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

But a police crackdown on crowds marching towards parliament on July 20 backfired, galvanising support for the movement and transforming anger over exam leaks into a broader expression of youth frustration.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Instead, he said, it would have led to more customer frustration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Fighting back tears of frustration, Teller hit one dead end after another.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Plus, Trump’s frustrations over the Iran war, behind the scenes with our travel columnist, and the fight to save all-you-can-eat buffets in Las Vegas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Ashitaka’s frustrations hit me like an earthquake decades ago, and still do.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

With no end in sight, senators from both parties signaled frustrations with the administration’s plans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Those frustrations are at the heart of the rise of the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, founded by Dipke.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

At times, Salva felt almost frantic at the delays and frustrations.

From "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park

Related Words

• annoyance
• dissatisfaction
• failure
• grievance
• irritation
• resentment