vex

[ veks ]

/ vɛks /

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See synonyms for: vex / vexed / vexes / vexing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to irritate; annoy; provoke: His noisy neighbors often vexed him.

to torment; trouble; distress; plague; worry: Lack of money vexes many.

to discuss or debate (a subject, question, etc.) with vigor or at great length: to vex a question endlessly without agreeing.

to disturb by motion; stir up; toss about.

to afflict with physical pain.

OTHER WORDS FOR vex

1 anger, irk, fret, nettle.

2 hector, harry, harass.

See synonyms for vex on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR vex

1 delight.

See antonyms for vex on Thesaurus.com

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

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effect

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Origin of vex

First recorded in1375–1425; late Middle English vexen, from Old French vexer, from Latin vexāre “to shake, jolt, harass, annoy,” frequentative of vehere “to carry, convey”

OTHER WORDS FROM vex

vex·er, nounvex·ing, adjective

Words nearby vex

vet. med., veto, vet. sci., vetted, vetting, vex, vexation, vexatious, vexed, vexillary, vexillate

How to use vex in a sentence

That makes the planning underway in Alabama a window into the problems also vexing other states.
Mass vaccinations against covid-19 will be ‘mind-blowing’ challenge for Alabama, other poor, rural states|Isaac Stanley-Becker|November 29, 2020|Washington Post
The problem has vexed scientists for more than 150 years, ever since Darwin famously mulled the “tangled bank” in On the Origin of Species.
A Physicist’s Approach to Biology Brings Ecological Insights|Gabriel Popkin|October 13, 2020|Quanta Magazine
This is effectively windfall money for these counties and it’s long vexed the prosecutorial community.
Sacramento Report: Bill Would Let City Attorney Collect More in Consumer Cases|Voice of San Diego|August 7, 2020|Voice of San Diego
When looking at the overall affect of pods, it is hard not to see how they will exacerbate the pre-existing inequities and achievement gaps that already vex public schools.
The Learning Curve: The Dystopian Future of ‘Learning Pods’|Will Huntsberry|July 16, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Councilwoman Jen Campbell announced Wednesday a proposal to regulate short-term vacation rentals in San Diego, the latest attempt to solve an issue that’s vexed City Hall for years.
Morning Report: Inside Westview High’s Many Harassment, Abuse Complaints|Voice of San Diego|July 2, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The title of the Donne poem is “Oh, to Vex Me, Contraries Meet as One.”
Cynthia Nixon on Bisexuality & Her New Role in ‘Wit’|Kevin Sessums|January 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Please torment, harass, vex, heckle, and badger those two blockheads until they honor their commitments to my defense fund.
John Grisham's Debut Short Story|John Grisham|October 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I do not intend to vex or grieve you by any conduct of mine; nor do I mean to leave you, now you are both infirm and old.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
I didn't mean to vex you, dear Margaret; I like nothing so well, only we are never alone, and I've no time.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
In comes Will Joyce to us drunk, and in a talking vapouring humour of his state, and I know not what, which did vex me cruelly.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys
Oh dear, if she has written so as to vex Aunt Alison, and we get blamed for it, and everything is spoilt!'
Robin Redbreast|Mary Louisa Molesworth
"No, Adolphe tries to vex me, he's going slower," says the young wife to her mother.
The Petty Troubles of Married Life, Complete|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for vex

vex

/ (vɛks) /

verb (tr)

to anger or annoy

to confuse; worry

archaic to agitate

Derived forms of vex

vexer, nounvexing, adjectivevexingly, adverb

Word Origin for vex

C15: from Old French vexer, from Latin vexāre to jolt (in carrying), from vehere to convey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012