frustrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
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
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have frustratedperfect
-
has frustratedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is frustratingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been frustratingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been frustratingperfect progressive
-
am frustratingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are frustratingprogressive
-
frustratingparticiple
-
frustratessingular 3rd person
Past
-
had frustratedperfect
-
was frustratingprogressive singular
-
were frustratingprogressive plural
-
had been frustratingperfect progressive
-
frustratedsimple
-
frustratedparticiple
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.
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
People always bring up the enormous amount of money have spent and some argue City's football can be boring at times - and, yes, that does frustrate lots of fans.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Sauer couldn’t give a straight answer, which seemed to frustrate the justice.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
She ordered me back with more exact instructions, which I followed exactly, while still managing to frustrate her true wishes.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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.
