Frustrate

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Frustrate

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

verb and adjective

Pronunciation

fruss-TRAYT  /frʌˈstreɪt/

Definition

As a verb: to prevent something from being achieved; to cause someone to feel upset or annoyed by preventing them from achieving what they want. As an adjective (archaic): frustrated.

Plain meaning

To frustrate means to block or prevent — frustrate someone's plans, feel frustrated by delays. It also describes the feeling of being blocked from what you want.

Register

Neutral and standard across professional and everyday contexts. The psychological sense is technical in clinical contexts and colloquial in everyday speech.