noun
-
the act of vexing or the state of being vexed
-
something that vexes
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vexation
1350–1400; Middle English vexacioun < Latin vexātiōn- (stem of vexātiō ), equivalent to vexāt ( us ) (past participle of vexāre to vex; see -ate 1) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Vexation is both something that causes annoyance and the state of mind that results from being annoyed. The test-taker next to you tapping her pencil is a vexation. You breaking her pencil in half makes her feel vexation. Vexation can also refer to something that causes anxiety and worry more than annoyance. When the parents of the kid you're babysitting are two hours late to return and aren’t answering their phones, that could be a vexation. You are less annoyed than worried. (Though, to be honest, you're still a little annoyed).
Vocabulary lists containing vexation
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Othello
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Grade 9, List 3
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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.
McMurtry’s stark assessment grew in part from a vexation that, despite his lifelong project to demythologize the cowboy, the ultimate American icon, his most celebrated book had the inverse effect.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
"You might be feeling a familiar vexation at the sight of these two formerly innocuous numerals," Dictionary.com said, addressing parents as it announced the winner this week.
From Barron's • Oct. 30, 2025
Even if you don’t care about bowling, his vexation is understandable.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2023
Your vexation with the half-vaccinated gig worker is certainly understandable, given the moral, social, and epidemiological nuance of your situation.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2021
Wart watched the arrangements with a surprise which turned into vexation and then into dislike.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
