ENGLISH
REFERENCE

frustrating

adj.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈfɹəsˌtɹeɪtɪŋ// UK //fɹʌstɹˈeɪtɪŋ// frus·trat·ing

adj. causing you to feel annoyed or impatient because you cannot achieve what you want. You use this to describe a situation that is difficult to deal with.

adj. causing feelings of annoyance, discouragement, or dissatisfaction, particularly when progress is blocked. Functions as a participial adjective derived from the present participle of the verb 'frustrate'.


SIMPLE

It is frustrating when the internet is slow.

CONTEXTUAL

Trying to assemble the furniture without the correct tools was a frustrating experience that took all afternoon.

COMPLEX

The most frustrating aspect of the bureaucratic process was not the delay itself, but the lack of clear communication regarding which documents were actually required.

Synonyms
Origin

From frustrate + -ing.

Usage

Commonly used to describe situations, tasks, or experiences; when describing a person's feelings, the past participle 'frustrated' is used instead.

Pitfall

I am very frustrating with this job.I am very frustrated with this job.Learners often confuse the '-ing' form (the cause) with the '-ed' form (the feeling). Use 'frustrating' for the job and 'frustrated' for your feeling.

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