frustrated

1 of 2

adjective

frus·​trat·​ed ˈfrə-ˌstrā-təd 

: feeling, showing, or characterized by frustration: such as

a

: feeling discouragement, anger, and annoyance because of unresolved problems or unfulfilled goals, desires, or needs

In fact Harry thought his behavior had been very good considering how frustrated and angry he felt at being stuck in Privet Drive this long …

—J. K. Rowling

b

: having an ambition that has not been realized

a frustrated actor [=a person who wants to be an actor but has not succeeded in becoming one]

Over the past decade, however, advances in digital printing technologies have brought the costs of publication down and paved the way for thousands of frustrated writers to get their work into print.

—Robert K. J. Killheffer

frustrated

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of frustrate entry 1

Examples of frustrated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Norris had every right to feel frustrated after finishing third. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Regardless of whether players and fans believe the series features one Link or multiple Links across the convoluted timeline posited in the Hyrule Historia, each of these games ends at a moment of frustrated erotic climax. — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2026

Kaepernick added that he was additionally frustrated to finally receive a phone call from the rapper possibly anticipating questions about the Roc Nation and NFL partnership. — Michel Martin, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

That’s a level of commitment that would make even a stalwart Zen meditator fidget with frustrated boredom. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1574, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frustrated

• abated
• ablated
• awaited
• belated
• berated
• castrated
• chelated
• citrated
• collated
• conflated
• created
• curated

Medical Definition

frustrated

adjective

frus·​trat·​ed

: filled with a sense of frustration : feeling deep insecurity, discouragement, or dissatisfaction

learned not to resort to aggressiveness when frustrated

—Ashley Montagu