frustrate

[fruhs-treyt]

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verb (used with object), frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing.

to make (plans, efforts, etc.) worthless or of no avail; defeat; nullify: The student's indifference frustrated the teacher's efforts to help him.

to disappoint or thwart (a person): a talented woman whom life had frustrated.

verb (used without object), frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing.

to become frustrated: His trouble is that he frustrates much too easily.

adjective

Obsolete. frustrated.

Origin of frustrate

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin frustrātus, past participle of frustrārī, verbal derivative of frustrā in vain

Related formsfrus·trat·er, nounfrus·trat·ing·ly, adverbfrus·tra·tive

[fruhs-trey-tiv, -truh-] /ˈfrʌs treɪ tɪv, -trə-/, adjectivere·frus·trate, verb (used with object), re·frus·trat·ed, re·frus·trat·ing.

Synonyms for frustrate

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1. balk, foil, circumvent. See thwart.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for frustrate

hinder, depress, discourage, dishearten, confront, baffle, obstruct, prevent, cramp, lick, stump, neutralize, forbid, obviate, dash, cancel, negate, counteract, circumvent, check

Examples from the Web for frustrate

Contemporary Examples of frustrate

The delays would cause chaos and snarl traffic at checkpoints, frustrate orderly schedules, and make tempers short.
Iraqi Insurgents Circulate the Lie That They Killed the Judge in Saddam’s Trial
Michael Newton
June 28, 2014
Such side-stepping will frustrate newcomers in search of elucidation, or at the very least a fuller picture.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature
Malcolm Forbes
November 29, 2013
The federal and state governments create cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solutions that frustrate rather than serve.
How Cities Are Fixing America
Bruce Katz, Jennifer Bradley
June 17, 2013
As a result, using the language of war may only serve to frustrate and mislead the public.
Why The U.S. Is Not In A Cyber War
Ian Wallace
March 10, 2013
But deadlock in Congress, with the focus on debt instead of demand, continues to frustrate the recovery.
Join the Manifesto for Global Economic Recovery
The Daily Beast
July 5, 2012

Historical Examples of frustrate

She turned to retreat, but the other two were there to frustrate her purpose.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum
But there was always a Great Power to frustrate these designs.
The Birth of Yugoslavia, Volume 1
Henry Baerlein
Here is an opportunity to frustrate the authoritative (father) figure.
A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis
Melvin Powers
Did she, like the rest of them, suspect me of seeking to frustrate his suit by withholding his fortune?
Dross
Henry Seton Merriman
Cleveland, baffled and frustrate, straightened up and shut off his cameras.
Triplanetary
Edward Elmer Smith

British Dictionary definitions for frustrate

frustrate

verb (tr)

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

to upset, agitate, or tireher constant complaints began to frustrate him

adjective

archaic frustrated or thwarted; baffled

Derived Formsfrustrater, noun

Word Origin for frustrate

C15: from Latin frustrāre to cheat, from frustrā in error

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

Word Origin and History for frustrate

mid-15c., from Latin frustratus, past participle of frustrari "to deceive, disappoint, frustrate," from frustra (adv.) "in vain, in error," related to fraus "injury, harm" (see fraud). Related: Frustrated; frustrating.