frustrating

adjective

frus·​trat·​ing ˈfrə-ˌstrā-tiŋ 

: causing feelings of anger and annoyance : tending to produce or characterized by frustration

a frustrating delay

a very frustrating experience

Mischel concludes that having the willpower to wait isn't about being stoic. It's about learning techniques that make waiting less frustrating.

—Pamela Druckerman

frustratingly adverb

a frustratingly slow process

The book is sprawling and self-indulgent. Most frustratingly, it is almost entirely devoid of serious military analysis.

—Hew Strachan

Synonyms of frustrating

• annoying
• irritating
• disturbing

Examples of frustrating in a Sentence

All these delays have been very frustrating.

these daily traffic jams are frustrating

Recent Examples on the Web

Howell found his manager's attention to detail excessive and frustrating. — Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Senate Bill 29 directly confronted the most frustrating aspect of Election Day, ballot questions. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026

Having a good listing agent can mean the difference between a frustrating home-selling process with disappointing results and one that is easy and lands the best possible offer. — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 12 Aug. 2026

Summer could be frustrating, trying to find affordable camps to keep them occupied while my husband and I worked. — Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frustrating

• abating
• awaiting
• berating
• castrating
• chelating
• collating
• conflating
• creating
• debating
• deflating
• derating
• dictating

Kids Definition

frustrating

adjective

: producing frustration

a frustrating delay

frustratingly adverb