frustrated

frustrated — adjective

1. feeling upset, annoyed, or discouraged because you keep meeting obstacles that s

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling upset, annoyed, or discouraged because you keep meeting obstacles that stop you from reaching a goal or getting what you want

Example

Eitan felt frustrated after spending three hours trying to fix his laptop.

frustrated + after + -ing clause

The slow internet connection made Megan feel frustrated with her online course.

feel frustrated with [something]

Common collocations
  • feel frustrated
  • get frustrated
  • grow frustrated
  • frustrated with
  • frustrated by
  • frustrated at
  • frustrated + that-clause
Synonyms
  • annoyed

    milder; caused by minor irritations rather than blocked goals

  • discouraged

    emphasises loss of hope or confidence after repeated failure

  • exasperated

    stronger; implies extreme irritation from persistent problems

Antonyms
  • satisfied

    feeling that your goals or desires have been met

  • fulfilled

    having achieved what you set out to do

Grammar Patterns

frustrated + with/by/at + noun phrase

frustrated + that-clause

Usage Note

Frequently used with prepositions 'with' (directed at a situation or person) or 'by' (introducing the obstacle). Typically describes a temporary emotional state caused by a specific situation, not a permanent personality trait.

Common Mistakes

I was frustrated at him for being late.
I was annoyed at him for being late.
'frustrated' describes the feeling when your own goals are blocked, not anger directed at another person's behaviour.

2. wanting very much to work in a particular profession but never having the chance

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

wanting very much to work in a particular profession but never having the chance to succeed in it

Example

Vivek always described himself as a frustrated musician who ended up working in a bank.

frustrated + career noun (musician)

The novel tells the story of a frustrated actor who never got a leading role.

Common collocations
  • frustrated actor
  • frustrated artist
  • frustrated writer
  • frustrated musician
  • frustrated politician
  • frustrated poet
  • frustrated engineer
  • frustrated teacher
Synonyms
  • would-be

    less emotional; simply describes someone who aspires to be something

  • aspiring

    positive tone; emphasises ambition rather than failure

  • unsuccessful

    broader; describes any kind of failure, not just career

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

frustrated + [career noun]

Usage Note

Always used directly before a noun that names a career or role — for example, frustrated artist, frustrated politician, frustrated teacher. It cannot stand alone or after a linking verb in this sense.

Common Mistakes

He is a frustrated person.
He is a frustrated poet who works as a waiter.
This sense requires a specific career noun; without it, the meaning shifts to sense 1.

3. used to describe a feeling, desire, or need that a person is unable to show or e

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

used to describe a feeling, desire, or need that a person is unable to show or express openly

Example

Élise could sense the frustrated anger in her brother's silence after the argument.

frustrated + emotion noun (anger)

The painting seemed to express a deep frustrated longing for a lost home.

Common collocations
  • frustrated anger
  • frustrated desire
  • frustrated love
  • frustrated ambition
  • frustrated longing
  • frustrated passion
Synonyms
  • suppressed

    strongly implies active effort to hold back; more clinical in tone

  • repressed

    psychological term; suggests the emotion is pushed out of conscious awareness

  • unexpressed

    neutral; simply states the emotion was not shown

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

frustrated + [abstract emotion noun]

Usage Note

Only sense in which 'frustrated' modifies an abstract emotion or desire rather than describing a person's state. The emotion described is blocked from being shown, not just felt intensely.

Common Mistakes

She felt frustrated anger.
Her frustrated anger was visible in her clenched fists.
In this sense, frustrated comes before the emotion noun; 'feel frustrated anger' mixes sense 1 and sense 3 awkwardly.

4. feeling unhappy or dissatisfied because your physical or romantic needs in a rel

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

feeling unhappy or dissatisfied because your physical or romantic needs in a relationship are not being met

Example

Asher felt frustrated in his relationship and wanted to talk about it openly.

frustrated in [relationship context]

The film explores what happens when a couple grows sexually frustrated over many years.

Common collocations
  • sexually frustrated
  • frustrated in a relationship
  • frustrated wife
  • frustrated husband
  • frustrated partner
Synonyms
  • unsatisfied

    broader; can apply to any unmet need, not only sexual

  • unfulfilled

    more general; describes overall lack of satisfaction in a relationship

Antonyms
  • satisfied

    having one's physical and emotional needs met

Grammar Patterns

sexually frustrated

frustrated + [spouse or partner noun]

Usage Note

Often appears in the fixed phrase 'sexually frustrated'. This sense is more direct and intimate than the others; it is generally used in informal or therapeutic contexts rather than formal writing.

Common Mistakes

The frustrated couple went to marriage counselling.' (ambiguous — which sense?)
The sexually frustrated couple went to marriage counselling.
Without 'sexually', readers will likely interpret this as sense 1 (annoyed by life problems).

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Frustrated, annoyed, upset, discouraged, and exasperated all describe negative emotional states, but they differ in cause and intensity. Frustrated specifically involves a blocked goal or obstacle preventing achievement — you keep trying but cannot succeed. Annoyed is milder, typically caused by minor irritations or disturbances such as noise or delays. Upset is broader, covering emotional disturbance from disappointment, worry, or unexpected bad news. Discouraged focuses on loss of hope or confidence after repeated failure, often with the sense of wanting to give up. Exasperated goes beyond frustration, implying irritation pushed to its limit by persistent problems that will not go away. For example, you feel frustrated when a software glitch stops your work, annoyed when someone taps their pen loudly, upset when you hear that a friend is ill, discouraged after a job search with many rejections, and exasperated when the same error message appears for the tenth time.

annoyed ↗upset ↗discouraged ↗exasperated

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • feel frustrated
  • get frustrated
  • grow frustrated
  • become frustrated

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'frustrated' comes from Latin 'frustrari', meaning 'to deceive' or 'to disappoint', which in turn comes from 'frustra', meaning 'in vain' or 'without effect'. It entered English through French 'frustrer' in the 15th century, originally carrying the sense of 'to deceive' or 'to disappoint hopes'. Over time the meaning shifted from the act of deceiving someone to the feeling of being blocked from achieving something — the sense of effort going to waste.