vexing
Americanadjective
-
irritating, provoking, or annoying.
Automatic file recovery reintroduced errors already corrected at the proofing stage—which was very vexing.
-
tormenting, troubling, or distressing.
She came to see racism as her country's most vexing problem.
Other Word Forms
- vexingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of vexing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Imagine how vexing this has been for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, whose gutty season yet again ended with a frustrating fizzle.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026
And the reality: It was a superbly executed act of strategic opportunism that removed a vexing enemy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026
That’s why the recent spate of economic data has been so vexing for Wall Street.
From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025
What is more vexing is diagnosing what the issue actually is.
From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025
And Mrs. Caruthers said nothing but nice things about Clara, which might be vexing but also made Ophie think she wouldn’t have wanted Clara killed.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
