What does frustrated mean?
Frustrated describes the unpleasant state of being annoyed and dissatisfied because something is preventing you from achieving what you want. The word works in two related ways: psychologically, it names a person's emotional response to obstacles — a slow computer, a missed train, an uncooperative colleague; and practically, it can characterize attempts or efforts themselves, as when a frustrated negotiation or frustrated ambition repeatedly fails to bear fruit. Its connotations are negative but moderate: frustration sits between fleeting irritation and outright anger, which makes the word useful for expressing displeasure without exaggeration. It appears constantly in everyday conversation, workplace language, and psychological writing about motivation, where unmet needs are said to produce frustration. Derived from Latin roots meaning 'in vain' or 'to disappoint', the term carries a long history of describing thwarted intention. Knowing it gives precise expression to one of modern life's most familiar feelings.
Annoyed and dissatisfied because of inability to change or achieve something; thwarted in one's aims.
"The team was frustrated by repeated technical failures."
Often used predicatively ('she felt frustrated') or with prepositions like 'with' or 'by'.
Past tense and past participle of frustrate: to have prevented someone from doing or achieving something.
"Their plans were frustrated by bad weather."
It comes from Latin 'frustra', meaning 'in vain' — so every time you say you're frustrated, you're literally invoking the ancient Roman word for wasted effort.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of frustrated
Frustrated comes from Latin 'frustrari', meaning to disappoint or render vain, itself rooted in 'frustra' — 'in vain'. The English verb 'frustrate' was borrowed from this source in the fifteenth century, and its past participle came to be used as an adjective. Related words include 'frustration' and the verb 'frustrate', all sharing the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How frustrated is actually used
Common in everyday speech and informal registers, but also used in formal contexts such as psychology and workplace communication. As an emotional adjective it typically conveys mild to moderate negative feeling — less intense than 'angry', more pointed than mere irritation. It can describe both people and, figuratively, efforts or plans that have been thwarted.
Easily confused with frustrated
Frustrated means annoyed at being blocked from a goal, while flustered means confused or hurried into losing composure.