Fed Up With: Standard Pattern
Fed Up With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use the informal expression “fed up with” when someone is bored, annoyed, or disappointed because a situation has continued too long.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| bored, annoyed, or disappointed after something continues too long | fed up with + noun/pronoun/-ing | Use the informal expression “fed up with.” |
| formal or neutral prose | tired of / frustrated by / dissatisfied with | Consider a less colloquial alternative if tone requires it. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you expressing accumulated annoyance or boredom in an informal voice?
If yes: Use “fed up with.”
If no: Choose a more neutral expression if the register is formal or the emotion is different.
Caveat: Cambridge marks the expression informal; the construction is standard, but suitability depends on register and intended tone.
Examples
I’m fed up with these delays.
“With” introduces the continuing situation causing annoyance.
She is fed up with waiting for updates.
An -ing phrase can follow “with.”
The report describes users as dissatisfied with the service.
A formal document may prefer a less colloquial alternative.
Further guidance
Construction
Use the informal expression “fed up with” when someone is bored, annoyed, or disappointed because a situation has continued too long.
Style Boundary
This is an informal fixed expression; the page does not generalize “with” to unrelated uses of “fed” or “up”.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- FED UP WITH | English meaning — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct Cambridge dictionary evidence for the informal construction “fed up with” someone or something.