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

• abrasive
• aggravating
• annoying
• bothersome
• carking
• chafing
• disturbing
• exasperating
• galling
• irksome
• irritating
• maddening
• nettlesome
• nettling
• peeving
• pesky
• pestiferous
• pestilent
• pestilential
• pesty
• plaguey
• plaguy
• rankling
• rebarbative
• riling
• vexatious
• vexing

Examples of frustrating in a Sentence

All these delays have been very frustrating.

these daily traffic jams are frustrating

Recent Examples on the Web

The New York Mets scored three runs in the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie en route to a 5-1 win over the Red Sox on a frustrating night. —Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Both English teams have been experiencing frustrating, parallel worlds as the pair have struggled mightily in the Premier League. —David Close, CNN Money, 22 May 2025

But for many users who use the app for quick inquiries, this makes the persistent error even more frustrating. —Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025

If the technology is not realistic, responsive and contextually aware, the experience can feel robotic and frustrating rather than engaging. —Jiajun Lu, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1871, 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