frustrate

12 synonyms and 1 antonym for frustrate, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To prevent someone from achieving something, causing annoyance or disappointment.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

cross

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

rag spoil foil scotch queer dun

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

crucify bedevil confound baffle bilk

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To prevent someone from achieving something, causing annoyance or disappointment.

“Bad weather frustrated their plans for a picnic.”

rag cross crucify spoil bedevil confound baffle foil scotch queer dun bilk

2. verb

To block or defeat a plan or effort.

“The defense frustrated every attack the other team tried.”

Opposites

accomplish

How to use frustrate

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

frustrate an attempt frustrate someone's plans feel frustrated

Etymology

From Latin frūstrō, "to deceive, disappoint," via Middle English frustraten.

Full origin of frustrate →

Frequently asked questions

What does “frustrate” mean?

The word “frustrate” means to prevent someone from achieving something, causing annoyance or disappointment. In plain terms, to stop someone from succeeding, in a way that makes them annoyed or disappointed.

How do you pronounce “frustrate”?

“Frustrate” is pronounced fruh-STRAYT (/ˈfɹʌsˌtɹeɪt/ in IPA).

How do you use “frustrate” in a sentence?

Here is “frustrate” used in a sentence: “Bad weather frustrated their plans for a picnic.”

What is another word for “frustrate”?

Words with a similar meaning to “frustrate” include confound.

What part of speech is “frustrate”?

“Frustrate” is a verb.

Where does the word “frustrate” come from?

The word “frustrate” comes from Latin. From Latin frūstrō, "to deceive, disappoint," via Middle English frustraten.

How many meanings does “frustrate” have?

“Frustrate” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to prevent someone from achieving something, causing annoyance or disappointment.

People also searched

cross accomplish spoil scotch FOIL queer rag dun bilk baffle crucify confound

Nearby words

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