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 of frustrating

• annoying
• irritating
• disturbing

Examples of frustrating in a Sentence

All these delays have been very frustrating.

these daily traffic jams are frustrating

Recent Examples on the Web

Car Interiors From crumbs in cupholders to pet hair on seats, car interiors are full of small, frustrating messes. —Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 11 Apr. 2026

But the case went cold for over a decade, frustrating some victims’ families who felt investigators were not taking the case seriously because of the victims’ line of work. —Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2026

Party infighting and frustrating recriminations around Democrats’ 2024 losses had made 2025 a slog. —Dan Merica, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2026

Are their long stretches of scoreless innings frustrating? —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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