frustrated

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

Examples of frustrated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

American presidents have typically refrained from using it publicly, even when angry or frustrated. —Tamara Keith, NPR, 24 June 2025

But both China and the United States are growing frustrated with this hedging. —Yuen Foong Khong, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025

Gilead’s disinterest in PrEP deeply frustrated academic researchers. —Jon Cohen, New Yorker, 24 June 2025

The conversations between two CEOs came at a time when Zuckerberg was growing frustrated with Meta’s struggles keeping up with rival AI labs such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 22 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1643, 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