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Prepositions after verbs

Frustrate by or frustrate with?

English commonly uses frustrated by and frustrated with. Frustrate by and frustrate with are less common as direct verb patterns.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct with frustrate?

Use frustrated by for the cause of frustration and frustrated with for dissatisfaction toward a person, thing, or situation. The active verb frustrate usually takes a direct object without a preposition.

I am frustrated by the delays.
She feels frustrated with her progress.
The problem frustrated the team.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
frustrated by + cause

Naming the source of frustration

By introduces the event or situation causing frustration.

Residents are frustrated by the traffic.
He felt frustrated by the lack of support.
2
frustrated with + person or situation

Expressing dissatisfaction

With is common when someone feels unhappy about a person, task, or ongoing situation.

She is frustrated with her computer.
We became frustrated with the slow process.
3
frustrate + object

Using the active verb

Frustrate normally takes a direct object.

The constant errors frustrated the developer.
These rules frustrate many users.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
frustrated by
They were frustrated by the cancellations.
Standard; focuses on the cause.
frustrated with
I am frustrated with this software.
Standard; expresses dissatisfaction with something.
frustrate by
The delays frustrated us by wasting time.
Possible when by introduces method or cause, but not the usual core pattern.
frustrate with
The coach frustrated the other team with strong defence.
Possible when with introduces the means used to frustrate.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Adding a preposition after the active verb unnecessarily

Frustrate usually takes a direct object.

✕ The noise frustrated with me. ✓ The noise frustrated me.

Using by for a person instead of the cause

With is often more natural for ongoing dissatisfaction.

✕ I am frustrated by my manager. ✓ I am frustrated with my manager.

Confusing adjective and verb forms

Use frustrated for feelings.

✕ She is frustrate with the results. ✓ She is frustrated with the results.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. We are frustrated ___ the long wait.
2. He is frustrated ___ his lack of progress.
3. The complicated form frustrated ___ applicants.

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Frequently asked questions

Is frustrated by correct?

Yes. It is a common way to identify the cause of frustration.

Is frustrated with also correct?

Yes. It is often used for dissatisfaction with a person, task, or situation.

Does frustrate need a preposition?

Usually no. The active verb commonly takes a direct object, as in The delays frustrated us.

face, with, face, by facilitate by, in, with, for or through? "fade into", "fade to" or "fade from"? fail in, at, to, on or for? "fall into" or "fall in"? falter in, after, for, on or under? fantasize about, on, of or over? fare in, against, to, as or on? "fascinate by" or "fascinate with"? "fasten to", "fasten on" or "fasten with"? favor by, in, for, from or of? favour by, in, for, over or of?

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