to frustrate

Examples

• All

• All the while he was constantly voting to frustrate Brexit.

• A comprehensive regional peace, however, has eluded and frustrated all who have pursued it.

  Academic text (1994)

• And so other people have the power to frustrate us as soon as we hand them that power.

• - Look, the crew will do anything to frustrate my sailing to Shanghai.

  Secret Sharer (2014)

• You see, Captain... ...my work has been frustrated... by the lack of an essential ingredient.

  Alien: Covenant (2017)

• Well, I think the one that frustrates people the most is pay for public sector staff.

• And if you were to choose another consumer product that really frustrates you now, what would it be?

• In the new inflationary environment, wages have been rising slower than retail prices, frustrating these Japanese workers.

• To deny its legitimacy or frustrate its result threatens public trust in our democracy.

  10 Downing Street

• Attempts to rationalize production, such as closing nonessential plants, were frustrated by local party bureaucrats.

  Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

S

to spoil

vsto frustrate

209 2.8

To make something less good or enjoyable

focuses on stopping success or plans rather than causing material damage

C

to cross

vsto frustrate

146 5.9

To stop someone's plans or make them fail

covers preventing achievement but can be less personal or direct

T

to thwart

vsto frustrate

77 7.4

To stop someone from doing what they want

is about blocking plans or efforts rather than other kinds of harm

H

to hinder

vsto frustrate

75 3.6

To make it difficult for people or things to do something

is about preventing achievement rather than only creating difficulty

I

to impede

vsto frustrate

59 6.5

To slow the progress or movement of people and things

is broader, covering immediate prevention as well as long delays

F

to foil

vsto frustrate

35 5.5

To stop a plan or action from working

is similar but can also mean making success difficult rather than impossible

S

to stymy

vsto frustrate

17 8.7

To stop someone from making progress toward a goal

is the general act of stopping plans rather than the specific obstruction

S

to squelch

vsto frustrate

13 7.8

Completely stop protests or criticism

aims at preventing success or plans but with less emphasis on force

S

to stymie

vsto frustrate

5 8.0

To stop or slow progress

is about preventing success or progress rather than merely slowing it down

B

to baffle

vsto frustrate

3 6.1

To stop someone's plans or efforts from succeeding

targets the same failure outcome but not necessarily by puzzling someone

S

to scotch

vsto frustrate

2 8.1

To stop a plan or action from happening

is more general, covering any action that keeps plans from succeeding

B

to bilk

vsto frustrate

• Archaic

1 9.9

Stop someone's plans or efforts from succeeding

is similar but not necessarily secretive or dishonest in its action

O

to obstruct someone's plans

vsto frustrate

1 5.6

To stop someone on purpose from doing what they planned

is broader, applying to any action that stops plans or progress

D

to derail a plan

vsto frustrate

1 5.2

Cause a plan to fail or stop moving forward

focuses on stopping plans, not on causing damage or delay only

Antonyms

F

to facilitate

• Formal

168 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

A

assist

38 1.8

Help given to someone to make a task easier

How Obstructive

to thwart

77 7.4

to obstruct

89 5.1

to frustrate

19 3.6

to impede

59 6.5

to hinder

75 3.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology