frustrating

adjective frus·trat·ing \ ˈfrə-ˌstrā-tiŋ \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of frustrating

: 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

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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

See frustrating defined for English-language learners

See frustrating defined for kids

Examples of frustrating in a Sentence

All these delays have been very frustrating.
these daily traffic jams are frustrating

Recent Examples of frustrating from the Web

The outcome was particularly frustrating considering the offense erupted for 17 goals in an eight-goal rout of Drexel eight days earlier.

— edward lee, baltimoresun.com, "Men’s lacrosse notes: Defense serving as foundation for UMBC," 20 Apr. 2018
Trying to tug on any hair, fine or thick, can be incredibly frustrating.

— devon abelman, Allure, "This Hack For Sharpening Dull Tweezers Is Going Viral on Reddit," 13 Apr. 2018
One said her experience with the Lake County legal system was frustrating and slow.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Plans to address rape kit backlog in Lake, Porter counties under consideration by area leaders," 11 Apr. 2018
That's especially frustrating given that it's positioned as an education device; the keyboard is still sold separately, which is a real problem for schools, and only Bluetooth keyboards are supported.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "2018 iPad review: Content creation with compromises," 6 Apr. 2018
To hear that someone didn’t follow that process and didn’t take their case seriously is really frustrating. ...

— chadd cripe, idahostatesman, "Should U of I athletic director lose his job? Student senate might recommend it | Idaho Statesman," 28 Mar. 2018
On their return trip Wednesday, the Pacers' night was even more frustrating.

— clifton brown, Indianapolis Star, "3 takeaways from the Pacers' loss to the Pelicans," 21 Mar. 2018
Games like last night are extraordinarily frustrating.

— helene st. james, Detroit Free Press, "Fractured cheekbone & a cane? Red Wings laugh because 'levity is good'," 23 Feb. 2018
The legal battle that has been going on between the two of them has been super frustrating.

— aurelie corinthios, PEOPLE.com, "Kim and Khloé Kardashian: Rob Should Have 'Controlled Himself' During Blac Chyna Drama," 11 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frustrating.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.