vexatious
Americanadjective
-
causing vexation; troublesome; annoying.
a vexatious situation.
- Synonyms:
- irksome, bothersome, irritating, provoking
- Antonyms:
- delightful
-
Law. (of legal actions) instituted without sufficient grounds and serving only to cause annoyance to the defendant.
-
full of unease or turmoil; troubled.
adjective
-
vexing or tending to vex
-
vexed
-
law (of a legal action or proceeding) instituted without sufficient grounds, esp so as to cause annoyance or embarrassment to the defendant
vexatious litigation
Other Word Forms
- nonvexatious adjective
- nonvexatiously adverb
- nonvexatiousness noun
- unvexatious adjective
- unvexatiously adverb
- unvexatiousness noun
- vexatiously adverb
- vexatiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of vexatious
First recorded in 1525–35; vexati(on) + -ous
Explanation
Vexatious describes something that drives you crazy. The kid you're babysitting refusing to go to bed might be vexatious, for example. Something vexatious, pronounced "veks-AY-shus," is irritating or annoying, like an itch in the middle of your back that you can't reach, or a task that you need to do for work. You can also describe something that's worrying you as vexatious, like a parent's vexatious thoughts the first time a child drives the car alone. Vexatious is also a legal term. It describes a lawsuit meant to annoy, with no hope of winning the suit.
Vocabulary lists containing vexatious
"Democracy in America, Vol. 1" by Alexis de Tocqueville, Introduction–Chapter 5
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"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte, Chapters 1–5
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Murder on the Orient Express
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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.
Talks between the government and veterans' organisations will take place as the bill progresses, but Sir Keir Starmer has said he is "confident" the bill will not lead to vexatious prosecutions of former soldiers.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025
Hit-Boy’s first musical body of work to arrive on the heels of this extended vexatious period is his forthcoming album, naturally titled “Software Update.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025
What if the judiciary treated the federal government itself as a vexatious litigant?
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025
AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said the petition was "vexatious, misleading and bullying".
From BBC • Aug. 15, 2024
“Some tiles and antique pottery that he bought in Persia. What was delivered was not what he had purchased. There has been a long, vexatious correspondence on the subject.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
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.
