frustrating

1 of 2

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

frustrating

2 of 2

present participle of frustrate entry 1

Synonyms of frustrating

Adjective

• annoying
• irritating
• disturbing

Examples of frustrating in a Sentence

Adjective

All these delays have been very frustrating.

these daily traffic jams are frustrating

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Which is what makes the opacity of the committee's process and evaluation tools so frustrating. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

That's frustrating to Northwest Indiana lawmakers like Randy Novak, who hoped storm victims could testify. — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Mullen now realizes that all of that creative struggle, however frustrating, had a purpose. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Field agents endure inefficient routing and prolonged idle times between assignments, and passengers experience frustrating delays at gates or baggage claims. — Justin Newell, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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