frustrate
[fruhs-treyt]
- 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.
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- to become frustrated: His trouble is that he frustrates much too easily.
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- Obsolete. frustrated.
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Origin of frustrate
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin frustrātus, past participle of frustrārī, verbal derivative of frustrā in vain
Synonyms
See more synonyms for frustrate on Thesaurus.com1. balk, foil, circumvent. See thwart.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for frustrating
Contemporary Examples
Frustrating as regulars find these fair-weather exercise interlopers, they were also all beginners once, he says.
Russian professional models often describe their business as "exhausting" and "frustrating," especially for a child.
“The most frustrating part of this crematorium here is the carelessness of the Ebola team,” says Reeves.
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 MankindMarlow 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 MoreKevin Fallon
October 10, 2014
Historical Examples
For her these pre-election days were discouraging and frustrating.
Susan B. AnthonyAlma Lutz
Just then I had to direct my energies to frustrating his plans.
The Lock And Key LibraryVarious
This was how she had met her tragedy, but at that time she had good hope of frustrating it.
YonderEmily 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.
DisciplineCharles Kingsley
frustrate
- to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; thwart
- to upset, agitate, or tireher constant complaints began to frustrate him
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- archaic frustrated or thwarted; baffled
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Word Origin
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
v.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper