What does "frustration" mean?

The feeling of annoyance at impossibility from resistance or inability to achieve something.

How do you pronounce "frustration"?

Pronounced //fɹʌsˈtɹeɪ.ʃən//.

Common synonyms include: ambivalence, ambivalence of impulse, annoyance, annulment, bafflement, balk.

//fɹʌsˈtɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
The feeling of annoyance at impossibility from resistance or inability to achieve something. countable, uncountable
2
an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts wordnet
3
The act of frustrating, or the state, or an instance of being frustrated. countable, uncountable
4
a feeling of annoyance at being hindered or criticized wordnet
5
The act of frustrating, or the state, or an instance of being frustrated.; The state of contract that allows a party to back away from its contractual obligations due to (unforeseen) radical changes to the nature of the thing a party has been obligated to. countable, uncountable

Show 3 more definitions

6
the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals wordnet
7
A thing that frustrates. countable, uncountable
8
Anger not directed at anything or anyone in particular. countable, uncountable
"The hope , however , is a slight one , and most attempts to love end in frustration : even Singer cannot endure the thought of life without Antonapoulos . The next most selfless seeker after love and happiness is Mick , who longs to express herself and to communicate with others through music, and her failure is pathetic because[…]"

"People react to the frustration in much the same way."

From Latin frūstrātiō (“disappointment”), related to frūstrā (“in vain”). By surface analysis, frustrate + -ion.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.