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

Livia’s sister-in-law invokes the poem when Livia learns, to her surprise, that her manipulative, abusive mother had been a frustrated musician. — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

They were thoroughly dominated by Chicago in a 23-12 loss on Sunday, a performance that left fans increasingly frustrated and the Jets insisting the franchise's past failures weren't seeping into the locker room. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

That initial pass led to the offside decision, and a frustrated Libya reaction. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

These movies complicate the Jimmy Stewart audiences were used to seeing, giving him characters who are often frustrated and sometimes dangerous. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 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