frustrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
frustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
frustrated,
past participle, past
-
frustrating
present participle
-
to make (plans, efforts, etc.) worthless or of no avail; defeat; nullify.
The student's indifference frustrated the teacher's efforts to help him.
- Synonyms:
- circumvent, foil, balk
-
to disappoint or thwart (a person).
a talented woman whom life had frustrated.
verb (used without object)
-
frustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
frustrated,
past participle, past
-
frustrating
present participle
adjective
verb
-
to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; thwart
-
to upset, agitate, or tire
her constant complaints began to frustrate him
adjective
Synonym Usage
See thwart.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
frustratesimple
-
frustratessimple
-
have frustratedperfect
-
has frustratedperfect
-
am frustratingprogressive
-
are frustratingprogressive
-
is frustratingprogressive
-
have been frustratingperfect progressive
-
has been frustratingperfect progressive
Past
-
frustratedsimple
-
had frustratedperfect
-
was frustratingprogressive
-
were frustratingprogressive
-
had been frustratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of frustrate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin frustrātus, past participle of frustrārī, verbal derivative of frustrā “in vain”
Explanation
When you frustrate someone, you do your best to annoy, confuse, or even torment that poor person. Maybe you constantly change your mind — that's sure to frustrate anyone who tries to make plans with you. If you have ever been frustrated while writing, you may have dropped your pen — or pushed away your keyboard — and stared angrily out the window, thinking, "How will I ever do this?" Well, that pent-up doubting that has made you stop is a sure sign you are frustrated. Plans, too, can be frustrated, like the snow that frustrates our efforts to run our errands.
Vocabulary lists containing frustrate
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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.
See Examples For:
Supporting all that consumption is an economy that may frustrate Americans but is nonetheless keeping spending habits afloat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
It said she was engaged in “gamesmanship… familiar in capital litigation … designed to frustrate … ‘the State’s strong interest in finality and the surviving victims’ right to closure.”
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
But Brook can delight and frustrate in equal measure, nowhere more so than on an Ashes tour when an average just under 40 was a disservice to his ability.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
If he can frustrate Uruguay the same way, Cape Verde could be through to the round of 32.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Expecting them to will only frustrate both the children and yourself.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
I have seen similar essays throughout my eight decades of life, and the subject frustrates me — though perhaps not for the reason you might suspect.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
But there is one thing that frustrates Randolph: “That he waited two years to come play for me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel “The Hunter,” “Point Blank” has all the makings of a highly involving thriller, but Mr. Boorman consistently frustrates these expectations with more artistic aims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
"He has only been able to have weekend leave for the past three weeks, in a wheelchair, which frustrates him greatly: it feels like a sad step backward."
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
This is a fact that frustrates me sometimes.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
While knitters were frustrated that the piece was being represented by crochet, crocheters were irked that the piece talked so much about knitting.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
Everton eventually pulled out of the deal, but supporters remained frustrated by the selling of Beto to Fiorentina shortly after.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
People have fears of losing their jobs to AI, are worried about facing higher utility bills due to energy-hungry data centers, and feel frustrated about taxpayer-funded handouts for those facilities, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
She is frustrated that “the Jewish people, in the name of rebuilding and showing that we are strong, are erasing our own history and the stuff that the world needs to see.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Allied generals still dreamed of achieving a dramatic breakthrough, but every attempt to breach the German defenses was frustrated and repulsed.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
But Georgia Stanway, this year's top scorer for England, once again turned up when they needed her to and she opened the scoring after a neat, incisive passing move, in a frustrating first half.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The envy you’re describing is uncomfortable, frustrating and totally natural.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We’re still doing these chaotic things, which is really frustrating as a fan.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
This was very frustrating to observe from afar.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
It was the most frustrating feeling in the world, second only to the inherent helplessness that came with being trapped in a camp, all of your decisions made for you.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
