frustrate

American  

[fruhs-treyt] / ˈfrʌs treɪt /

verb (used with object)

• frustrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• frustrated,
  past participle,  past
• frustrating
  present participle

1. 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

2. to disappoint or thwart (a person).

   a talented woman whom life had frustrated.

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verb (used without object)

• frustrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• frustrated,
  past participle,  past
• frustrating
  present participle

1. to become frustrated.

   His trouble is that he frustrates much too easily.

adjective

1. Obsolete. frustrated.

frustrate British  

/ frʌˈstreɪt /

verb

1. to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; thwart

2. to upset, agitate, or tire

   her constant complaints began to frustrate him

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adjective

1. archaic frustrated or thwarted; baffled

Synonym Usage

See thwart.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• frustrater
  noun
• refrustrate
  verb (used with object)
• frustrative
  adjective
• frustratingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• frustrating
  present
• frustrated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• frustrate
  simple
• frustrates
  simple
• have frustrated
  perfect
• has frustrated
  perfect
• am frustrating
  progressive
• are frustrating
  progressive
• is frustrating
  progressive
• have been frustrating
  perfect progressive
• has been frustrating
  perfect progressive

Past

• frustrated
  simple
• had frustrated
  perfect
• was frustrating
  progressive
• were frustrating
  progressive
• had been frustrating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will frustrate
  simple
• will have frustrated
  perfect
• will be frustrating
  progressive
• will have been frustrating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frustrate frustrates frustrated frustrating

Three in five homes listed for sale since January remain on the market, according to property portal Zoopla, as high mortgage rates frustrate potential buyers.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 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

They raise costs, squeeze margins, and frustrate managers.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 6, 2026

In fact, entire Reddit forums and YouTube channels are devoted to what’s called “scambaiting,” the practice of intentionally engaging with scammers to frustrate or troll them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

A thing we cannot see can exert pressure, can frustrate my wish to fill a vessel with water if I were dumb enough to leave my finger on the neck.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

It frustrates him that his mom, 55, is still wary of opening a Roth IRA.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

The process -- and the sheer size of the state of 40 million residents -- means California is always slow to finalize results, a fact that frustrates voters of all stripes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

It is that love for the United States that thoroughly frustrates those around the world who thought our country represented freedom and diversity.

From Salon ● May 22, 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

And what frustrates me most is that I do know that.

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender

Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives frustrated over how the potential of AI and concerns over safety were not understood or being taken seriously enough.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

So: Patients are frustrated because doctors seem rushed.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Williams, who lives in Brynteg, said he was "frustrated" that homes "perfect" for local people have been "left lying dormant".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

He gets a little frustrated with Brody, but he’s not that kind of cortisol-burning, wild-eyed panic that Tom Loftis is.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

“You get frustrated and worried that you can’t do all those things the way you want to.”

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

She had expected the process to be emotional; what she didn't predict was just how complex and frustrating it would be, at times leaving her tearful and furious.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

“But it’s not like I’m frustrated just because I’m playing at home or anything. Whether it’s on the road or at home, it would be frustrating, just not helping the team win games.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

It’s frustrating and unnecessary; it’s also not about me.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

They go to WSG Tirol on Sunday having collected four points from their opening two matches - a win over Hartberg and a frustrating 1-1 draw at Wolfsberg, where Salzburg dominated.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

I would laugh if it wasn’t so frustrating.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

Related Words

• baffle
• confront
• depress
• discourage
• dishearten
• hinder