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 of frustrating

• annoying
• irritating
• disturbing

Examples of frustrating in a Sentence

All these delays have been very frustrating.

these daily traffic jams are frustrating

Recent Examples on the Web

For longtime Stockton resident Montie Selmon, sideshows have become a familiar and frustrating part of life. —Conor McGill, CBS News, 3 May 2026

This was a snapshot of the 2026 Orioles — tantalizing upside, frustrating downside, and now even more pressure on an underwhelming rotation. —Josh Tolentino, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2026

After a frustrating conversation with a hotel staffer about the air conditioning, a hot and bothered Fuller threw on a ball cap, turned it backward and recorded a rant on his cellphone. —Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 1 May 2026

This frustrating bureaucratic situation has been part of California’s landscape for 50-plus years and there’s been no hope to rein in the abuses, but the tide seems to be turning following a variety of court cases and legislative efforts to limit the commission’s powers. —Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frustrating

• abating
• awaiting
• berating
• castrating
• chelating
• collating
• conflating
• creating
• debating
• deflating
• derating
• dictating

Kids Definition

frustrating

adjective

: producing frustration

a frustrating delay

frustratingly adverb