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

And fuel for frustrated baseball fans upset about the Dodgers acquiring another star player. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Sudbury had grown frustrated seeing so many people dedicate themselves to changing their lives but still fail to secure housing or work once background checks were run. — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026

Philips is quick to push back on the idea that his story is a plug-and-play template for frustrated twenty-somethings who can’t land a corporate job. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026

India’s young men and women were already frustrated and angry over recent paper leaks in an examination for admission to medical schools. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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