Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of preventing the accomplishment or fulfillment of something.
  • noun The feeling or state of being frustrated.
  • noun Something that causes such a feeling or state.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of frustrating; disappointment; defeat.
  • noun Specifically, in astrology, the cutting off or preventing, by one aspect, of anything shown by another.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of frustrating; disappointment; defeat.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of frustrating, or the state, or an instance of being frustrated
  • noun A thing that frustrates
  • noun The feeling of annoyance when one's actions are criticized or hindered
  • noun Anger not directed at anything or anyone in particular

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals
  • noun an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts
  • noun a feeling of annoyance at being hindered or criticized

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin frustratio ("disappointment"), related to frustrā ("in vain").

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Examples

  • My main frustration is that school violence gets the most attention when someone gets killed.

    Sound Politics: School shooting 2007

  • That she never threw up her hands and screamed in frustration is a precious snapshot of this remarkable woman.

    Amazing Grace 2005

  • That she never threw up her hands and screamed in frustration is a precious snapshot of this remarkable woman.

    Amazing Grace 2005

  • But adding greatly to my frustration is the willingness of people who see themselves as "enlightened progressives" (including many educators), to buy into the radically regressive education reform program being promoted by corporate interests with massive help from Washington.

    Are we still capable of educating for 'us-ness?' Valerie Strauss 2010

  • But the frustration is the small sigh, not the shower of tears.

    Barnstorming on an Invisible Segway 2009

  • BITTERMANN: But Madam Boyer argues that the fashion world is what she calls a frustration factory, based on deception.

    CNN Transcript Dec 19, 2009 2009

  • I think what compounds my frustration is the fact that there are only two major sources of news in the city of ames; the Daily and Tribune.

    Archive 2005-07-01 Mansoor Khadir 2005

  • I think what compounds my frustration is the fact that there are only two major sources of news in the city of ames; the Daily and Tribune.

    Archive 2005-05-01 Mansoor Khadir 2005

  • I think what compounds my frustration is the fact that there are only two major sources of news in the city of ames; the Daily and Tribune.

    Archive 2005-10-01 Mansoor Khadir 2005

  • I think what compounds my frustration is the fact that there are only two major sources of news in the city of ames; the Daily and Tribune.

    Archive 2005-04-01 Mansoor Khadir 2005

Comments

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  • Example.

    August 2, 2008

  • Classic.

    August 2, 2008

  • Father's Lesson

    A boy asks his father to explain the differences among irritation, aggravation, and frustration.

    His father picks up the phone and dials a number at random. When the phone is answered, he asks, "Can I speak to Alf, please?"

    "No! There's no one called Alf here," says the person who answered the phone.

    His father hangs up. "That's irritation," he says.

    He picks up the phone again, dials the same number, and asks for Alf a second time. "No-there's no one here called Alf. Go away. If you call again I shall telephone the police," the person says.

    His father hangs up and says, "That's aggravation."

    "Then what's frustration?" asks his son. The father picks up the phone and dials the same number a third time.

    "Hello, this is Alf. Have I received any phone calls?" he asks casually.

    May 14, 2010

  • Heehee!

    May 14, 2010