frustrated

[ fruhs-trey-tid ]

/ ˈfrʌs treɪ tɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR frustrated ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

disappointed; thwarted: an announcer who was a frustrated actor.

having a feeling of or filled with frustration; dissatisfied: His unresolved difficulty left him absolutely frustrated.

Nearby words

frump, frumpy, frunze, frusemide, frustrate, frustrated, frustrating, frustration, frustrative, frustule, frustulum

Origin of frustrated

First recorded in 1635–45; frustrate + -ed²

Related forms

un·frus·trat·ed, adjective

Definition for frustrated (2 of 2)

frustrate

[ fruhs-treyt ]

/ ˈfrʌs treɪt /

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

SYNONYMS FOR frustrate

1 balk, foil, circumvent. See thwart.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR frustrate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

frus·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.

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

Examples from the Web for frustrated

The clichés about football-obsessed husbands and frustrated wives are pretty heavy-handed.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But there is a big twist in this story that has left both Grace Castro and Lozoya frustrated and grasping for more answers.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Aaron Sorkin is frustrated that his Steve Jobs biopic fell apart.
A Few Great Men Too Many: Aaron Sorkin Doesn’t Think You Can Handle the Truth|Arthur Chu|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You have to admire his convictions; most frustrated auteurs in this town just call such things “an Alan Smithee project.”
Sony Hack: A Dictator Move?|Kevin Bleyer|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But I was a choir geek, and then got frustrated and took an acting class and realized that was the thing for me.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The old man's amusing attempts to evade their vigilance are frustrated, whereupon he calls for assistance.
Authors of Greece|T. W. Lumb
Great was the dismay of the suitors when they learnt that their foul plot had been frustrated.
Stories from the Odyssey|H. L. Havell
His own opinion about the intentions of Providence was that they had been frustrated—by Debrett chiefly.
When Ghost Meets Ghost|William Frend De Morgan
How the good intentions of the Governor-General had been frustrated in this case I have never learned.
Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official|William Sleeman
They both fought in despairing silence, the one to carry out his frustrated purposes to kill, the other to save his life.
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates|Howard Pyle

British Dictionary definitions for frustrated (1 of 2)

frustrated

/ (frʌˈstreɪtɪd) /

adjective

having feelings of dissatisfaction or lack of fulfilment

British Dictionary definitions for frustrated (2 of 2)

frustrate

/ (frʌˈstreɪt) /

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 Forms

frustrater, 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