frustration
noun
Frustration — the deliberate thwarting of someone's plans or efforts
Definition
An act of hindering someone's plans or efforts
In depth
Frustration, in this active sense, names an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts, the deliberate or circumstantial blocking of progress toward a goal. The word's far more common modern sense, the emotional state of feeling thwarted, derives directly from this original, more active meaning, the feeling being the natural consequence of repeatedly encountering such blocking.
Origin
The word descends from Latin frustrare, to deceive or disappoint, related to frustra, in vain. That root sense of vanity or futility underlies both the word's older, active meaning, the act of rendering someone's efforts vain, and its now-dominant emotional sense, the feeling of having one's efforts rendered fruitless.
Usage examples
"The frustration of his ambitions came not from any single event but from years of accumulated small obstacles."
"Enemy forces worked methodically toward the frustration of every supply line the army attempted to establish."
"Her constant frustration of his plans, however well-intentioned, eventually drove a permanent wedge between them."
How to use it
This active sense of frustration, the act of hindering, is somewhat formal and less common than the now-dominant emotional sense, feeling thwarted, and writers should rely on context to clarify which meaning is intended.
Related concepts
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