frustrate

[fruhs-treyt]

See more synonyms for frustrate on Thesaurus.com

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. 2018

Related Words for frustrating

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 frustrating

Contemporary Examples of frustrating

Frustrating as regulars find these fair-weather exercise interlopers, they were also all beginners once, he says.
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Tim Teeman
January 6, 2015
Russian professional models often describe their business as "exhausting" and "frustrating," especially for a child.
Is 9-Year-Old Russian Model Kristina Pimenova Too Sexualized?
Anna Nemtsova
December 12, 2014
“The most frustrating part of this crematorium here is the carelessness of the Ebola team,” says Reeves.
Rage Against the Ebola Crematorium
Abby Haglage
November 11, 2014
Yeah, it was a frustrating experience that the other movie got going.
Christopher Nolan Uncut: On ‘Interstellar,’ Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the Future of Mankind
Marlow Stern
November 10, 2014
But sitting in a room with a guy and tape recorder asking those questions had to have been frustrating at the time, right?
Choose Your Own Neil Patrick Harris: The Star on ‘Doogie,’ ‘Gone Girl,’ Gay Sex and More
Kevin Fallon
October 10, 2014

Historical Examples of frustrating

For her these pre-election days were discouraging and frustrating.
Susan B. Anthony
Alma Lutz
Just then I had to direct my energies to frustrating his plans.
The Lock And Key Library
Various
This was how she had met her tragedy, but at that time she had good hope of frustrating it.
Yonder
Emily Hilda Young
Why will you choose so painful a remedy, by frustrating the easier?
A Christian Directory (Volume 1 of 4)
Richard Baxter
Even now he is frustrating the tokens of the liars, and making diviners mad.
Discipline
Charles Kingsley

British Dictionary definitions for frustrating

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 frustrating

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.