# frustration

Pronunciation: say "frus-TRAY-shuhn" /fɹʌsˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/

## Noun

1. The feeling of annoyance that arises when resistance or inability prevents you from achieving something.
   - Simple: The annoyed feeling you get when something stops you from doing what you want.
   - _Years of stalled negotiations left both sides simmering with frustration._
   - _He slammed the laptop shut in frustration after the file failed to save for the third time._
2. The act of preventing a plan, effort, or desire from succeeding, or the state or an instance of having one's aims thwarted.
   - Simple: The blocking of someone's plans or efforts, or the state of having your plans blocked.
   - _The frustration of the merger came after regulators raised antitrust concerns._
   - _Repeated frustration of the rebels' supply lines forced an early surrender._
3. A general anger that is not directed at anything or anyone in particular.
   - Simple: Anger that is not aimed at any one person or thing.
   - _He kicked the trash can in sheer frustration, angry at nothing he could name._
   - _Months of small disappointments left her seething with frustration at nothing in particular._
4. A thing or circumstance that thwarts plans or provokes annoyance.
   - Simple: Something that blocks your plans or makes you feel annoyed.
   - _The broken elevator remained a daily frustration for residents of the upper floors._
   - _Among the project's many frustrations was a supplier who never delivered on time._
5. The state of a contract that lets a party withdraw from its obligations because unforeseen radical changes have altered the nature of what was agreed.
   - Simple: A legal rule that lets someone out of a deal when unexpected events change it completely.
   - _The destruction of the wedding venue led to frustration of the contract, releasing both parties from their obligations._
   - _Lawyers argued that the sudden export ban amounted to frustration, ending the supply agreement._

## Origin

From Latin frūstrātiō ("disappointment"), related to frūstrā ("in vain"); by surface analysis, frustrate plus -ion.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/frustration (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).