frustrate

frustrate
I. transitive verb (frustrated; frustrating) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin frustratus, past participle of frustrare to deceive, frustrate, from frustra in error, in vain Date: 15th century 1. a. to balk or defeat in an endeavor b. to induce feelings of discouragement in 2. a. (1) to make ineffectual ; bring to nothing (2) impede, obstruct b. to make invalid or of no effect Synonyms: frustrate, thwart, foil, baffle, balk mean to check or defeat another's plan or block achievement of a goal. frustrate implies making vain or ineffectual all efforts however vigorous or persistent <
frustrated attempts at government reform
>
. thwart suggests frustration or checking by crossing or opposing <
the army thwarted his attempt at a coup
>
. foil implies checking or defeating so as to discourage further effort <
foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her
>
. baffle implies frustration by confusing or puzzling <
baffled by the maze of rules and regulations
>
. balk suggests the interposing of obstacles or hindrances <
officials felt that legal restrictions had balked their efforts to control crime
>
. II. adjective Date: 15th century characterized by frustration

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Frustrate — Frus trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Frustrated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Frustrating}.] 1. To bring to nothing; to prevent from attaining a purpose; to disappoint; to defeat; to baffle; as, to frustrate a plan, design, or attempt; to frustrate the will or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • frustrate — frustrate, thwart, foil, baffle, balk, circumvent, outwit mean either to defeat a person attempting or hoping to achieve an end or satisfy a desire or, in some cases, to defeat another s desire. To frustrate is to make vain or ineffectual all… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • frustrate — [frus′trāt΄] vt. frustrated, frustrating [ME frustraten < L frustratus, pp. of frustrare, frustrari, to disappoint, deceive < frustra, in vain: for IE base see FRAUD] 1. to cause to have no effect; bring to nothing; counteract; nullify [to… …   English World dictionary

  • Frustrate — Frus trate, a. [L. frustratus, p. p. of frustrare, frustrari, to deceive, frustrate, fr. frustra in vain, witout effect, in erorr, prob. for frudtra and akin to fraus, E. fraud.] Vain; ineffectual; useless; unprofitable; null; voil; nugatory; of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • frustrate — frus·trate / frəs ˌtrāt/ vt frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing: to make invalid or ineffectual: defeat the remedial purposes of the Workers Compensation Act should not be frustrated by rigid technical standards Palmer v. Bath Iron Works Corp., 559 A.2d… …   Law dictionary

  • frustrate — (v.) mid 15c., from L. frustratus, pp. of frustrari to deceive, disappoint, frustrate, from frustra (adv.) in vain, in error, related to fraus injury, harm (see FRAUD (Cf. fraud)). Related: Frustrated; frustrating …   Etymology dictionary

  • frustrate — [v] thwart, disappoint annul, arrest, baffle, balk, bar, beat, block, cancel, check, circumvent, confront, conquer, counter, counteract, cramp, cramp one’s style*, crimp, dash, dash one’s hope*, defeat, depress, discourage, dishearten, foil,… …   New thesaurus

  • frustrate — ► VERB 1) prevent (a plan or action) from progressing or succeeding. 2) prevent (someone) from doing or achieving something. 3) cause to feel dissatisfied or unfulfilled. DERIVATIVES frustrated adjective frustrating adjective frustration noun …   English terms dictionary

  • frustrate */ — UK [frʌˈstreɪt] / US [ˈfrʌˌstreɪt] verb [transitive] Word forms frustrate : present tense I/you/we/they frustrate he/she/it frustrates present participle frustrating past tense frustrated past participle frustrated 1) to make someone feel annoyed …   English dictionary

  • frustrate — frus|trate [ frʌ,streıt ] verb transitive * to make someone feel annoyed and impatient by preventing them from doing or getting something: She has always been frustrated by her inability to draw. Activists and reformers are frustrated by the… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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