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

• abrasive
• aggravating
• annoying
• bothersome
• carking
• chafing
• disturbing
• exasperating
• galling
• irksome
• irritating
• maddening
• nettlesome
• nettling
• peeving
• pesky
• pestiferous
• pestilent
• pestilential
• pesty
• plaguey
• plaguy
• rankling
• rebarbative
• riling
• vexatious
• vexing

Examples of frustrating in a Sentence

All these delays have been very frustrating.

these daily traffic jams are frustrating

Recent Examples on the Web

Real relationships, including the messy, spontaneous, and occasionally frustrating ones, offer a depth of connection that AI can never replicate. —Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025

Her hunt for that first Grand Slam title, which had once seemed easy to find, got frustrating. —Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025

With the loss to Boston, Kerr's Warriors fell to a frustrating 21-21 record on the season, good for just the No. 11 seed in a competitive Western Conference. —Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

Reinhart has been facing this frustrating situation privately, but decided to share it publicly now for a very personal reason: At the time of this interview, her grandmother had recently been diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer. —Julia Sullivan, SELF, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

frustrating

adjective

: producing frustration

a frustrating delay

frustratingly adverb