frustrating

F4R1U1S1T1R1A1T1I1N1G2
UK/fɹəˈstɹeɪ̯tɪŋ/UK/ˌfɹʌsˈtɹeɪ̯tɪŋ/US/ˈfɹʌsˌtɹeɪ̯tɪŋ/US[ˈf(ɹ)ʌsˌtɹeɪ̯ɾɪŋ]

adjective

Discouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty.

Similar
discouragingfrustrativethwartingpreventivepreventative
Less commonScrabble 15
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Meanings

adjectivefrustrating (comparative more frustrating, superlative most frustrating)

comparative more frustrating · superlative most frustrating

  1. Discouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty.
    1 more example

    The episode’s unwillingness to fully commit to the pathos of the Bart-and-Laura subplot is all the more frustrating considering its laugh quota is more than filled by a rollicking B-story that finds Homer, he of the iron stomach and insatiable appetite, filing a lawsuit against The Frying Dutchman when he’s hauled out of the eatery against his will after consuming all of the restaurant’s shrimp (plus two plastic lobsters).

    2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 14 Aug 2012

    Synonyms: discouraging

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of frustrate

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveDiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty.

Similar
discouraging

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivediscouraging by hindering

Similar
discouraging

adjectivepreventing realization or attainment of a desire

Similar
frustrativethwartingpreventivepreventative
Also see
discouragingfrustrativepreventivethwarting

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From frustrate + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan frustrador, frustrant
  • frustradordiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
  • frustrantdiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Chinese Mandarin 挫败
  • 挫败 (cuòbài)discouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Czech frustrující
  • frustrujícídiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Danish frustrerende
  • frustrerendediscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Dutch frustrerend
  • frustrerenddiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Esperanto frustranta
  • frustrantadiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Finnish turhauttava
  • turhauttavadiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
French frustrant
  • frustrantdiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
German frustrierend
  • frustrierenddiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Hebrew מְתַסְכֵּל
  • מְתַסְכֵּלdiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Hungarian frusztráló
  • frusztrálódiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Italian frustrante
  • frustrantediscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Norwegian Bokmål frustrerende
  • frustrerendediscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Portuguese frustrante
  • frustrantediscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Spanish frustrante
  • frustrantediscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Swedish frustrerande
  • frustrerandediscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Vietnamese tức
  • tứcdiscouraging; causing annoyance or anger by excessive difficulty
Cite this entry
APA

frustrating. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frustrating

MLA

“frustrating.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frustrating. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “frustrating,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frustrating.

Source: frustrating on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.