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
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
Final delivery can still frustrate, but he has become Scotland's chief creative force.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
It was a mission that would motivate and frustrate her all her life.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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
Smith was discussing opportunities for business leaders and employees to unlock the potential of AI—a challenge that frustrates many senior executives, as WSJ Leadership Institute President Alan Murray noted—rather than highlighting marketing in particular.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won't be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet."
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Angelenos don’t mind haters — it’s the type of city that frustrates residents even on its best days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
She has found herself in a pecking order that surprises and frustrates her.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
From California to Massachusetts, they will decide on initiatives that could impact local housing markets and address the soaring cost of homes that have frustrated so many Americans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
While Wiegman was frustrated by her side's lack of ruthlessness in Greece, Stanway always looked dangerous and made sure she got on the scoresheet.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Jefferies analyst Brent Thill said he’s getting slightly frustrated that his agent is blocked from sites including Home Depot and Spectrum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
"I knock on a lot of doors but I know people are tired of listening. They are frustrated with politics. If one person says 'this is amazing,' it makes me go after 10 other doors."
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Penelope felt sorry for the frustrated gardener, who had a great deal of work to do and no parasol to shield him from the sun, either.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
"It's very frustrating for people to know that these medicines are available and that they're not able to access them through the NHS - but these drugs are not going away," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
That will be a slow and frustrating grind back to affordable housing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
If I was only performing other people’s words, I’d find that frustrating, I think.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
She says it is "so frustrating" that she has to pay out thousands of pounds a year more on her student debt.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
How frustrating it must be to come so close to your goal, to have Oak and the crown in one place, to have the lords and ladies of Faerie assembled.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
