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
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
Hew Strachan
Synonyms
Examples of frustrating in a Sentence
All these delays have been very frustrating.
these daily traffic jams are frustrating
Recent Examples on the Web
After arguably the most frustrating and disappointing season in team history, all of that counts as progress.
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
An inkjet printer is likely the most inexpensive way to start and gives you a lot of flexibility, though purchasing ink cartridges that work with the device can be a bit frustrating (and pricey).
—Karl Klockars, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
And Agada’s assist on the second goal erased what was an otherwise frustrating night.
—Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024
There’s nothing more frustrating than a bad internet connection, but researchers out of Aston University may have just solved that problem forever.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Addressing its problems could take Boeing time, aviation experts said, frustrating airlines that need new planes.
—Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Being a petroleum analyst in an election year is frustrating.
—Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
That was frustrating to me, but that was also a challenge and that motivated me to do more.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
But that's what's so frustrating with these politics: A lot of it is just theater.
—Juhi Doshi, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
An inkjet printer is likely the most inexpensive way to start and gives you a lot of flexibility, though purchasing ink cartridges that work with the device can be a bit frustrating (and pricey).
—Karl Klockars, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
And Agada’s assist on the second goal erased what was an otherwise frustrating night.
—Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024
There’s nothing more frustrating than a bad internet connection, but researchers out of Aston University may have just solved that problem forever.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Addressing its problems could take Boeing time, aviation experts said, frustrating airlines that need new planes.
—Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Being a petroleum analyst in an election year is frustrating.
—Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
That was frustrating to me, but that was also a challenge and that motivated me to do more.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
But that's what's so frustrating with these politics: A lot of it is just theater.
—Juhi Doshi, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frustrating.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1871, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near frustrating
Cite this Entry
“Frustrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frustrating. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
frustrating
adjective
: producing frustration
a frustrating delay
frustratingly
adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on frustrating
Nglish: Translation of frustrating for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of frustrating for Arabic Speakers
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