Word
frustrating
Phoneticsfrus·trat·ing
US/ˈfɹəsˌtɹeɪtɪŋ/
UK/fɹʌstɹˈeɪtɪŋ/
Definitions
01annoying and difficult
adj. making you feel annoyed or impatient because you cannot do what you are trying to do.
adj. causing feelings of annoyance, discouragement, or impatience through the obstruction of one's efforts or expectations.
“It is very frustrating when the internet stops working in the middle of a meeting.”
“The most frustrating aspect of the bureaucratic process was the lack of clear communication regarding which documents were actually required.”
Pitfall
I am very frustrating with this computer.
I am very frustrated with this computer.
Use 'frustrating' for the thing that causes the feeling (the computer) and 'frustrated' for the person who has the feeling (you).
Synonyms
Antonyms
02preventing or annoying
v. the '-ing' form of the verb 'frustrate', used to show the action of stopping someone's plans.
v. the present participle of 'frustrate', used in continuous tenses to denote the act of thwarting or preventing a plan or desire.
“The heavy rain was frustrating our plans to have a picnic in the park.”
“By constantly changing the regulations, the government was effectively frustrating the efforts of small businesses to expand into international markets.”
Formal
Usage
As a verb, it often takes a direct object representing the plan or person being blocked.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“What we've learned, we've learned the hard way — by getting on the phone and listening to all those frustrating automated messages.” “It’s frustrating for Semprini to see his work held up because a reviewer didn’t read it carefully, and it’s an experience some researchers say is becoming increasingly common.” “It can be frustrating, because the moment you start talking about nuance, people start saying: ‘You must be funded by big tech.’”
Odgers says she wants to hear more from young people.” Etymology
From frustrate + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/frustrating