Words / B1

fru-STRAYSHUN/frʌˈstreɪʃn/

Frustration is the feeling of being blocked: express frustration; frustration at / with. Frustrating is the adjective. Anger is stronger; disappointment is about unmet hopes. Uncountable in many uses. Do not write “a frustration” for every annoyance — a source of frustration is neater.

Meaning

The feeling of being stuck or annoyed because you cannot achieve something.

Examples

• “Staff expressed frustration at the frozen vacancies.”
• “The delay was a source of frustration for candidates waiting on results.”

Good to know

Uncountable: frustration; frustration at / with. Adjective: frustrating. Stronger: anger. Pattern: a source of frustration. Not every small annoyance.

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