vexed

[ vekst ]

/ vɛkst /

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See synonyms for vexed on Thesaurus.com

adjective

irritated; annoyed: vexed at the slow salesclerks.

much discussed or disputed: a vexed question.

tossed about, as waves.

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Origin of vexed

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at vex, -ed²

OTHER WORDS FROM vexed

vex·ed·ly

[vek-sid-lee], /ˈvɛk sɪd li/, adverbvex·ed·ness, nounhalf-vexed, adjectiveun·vexed, adjective

Words nearby vexed

vetted, vetting, vex, vexation, vexatious, vexed, vexillary, vexillate, vexillographer, vexillology, vexillum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vexed in a sentence

That question — the deepest and most vexed issue posed by the theory — is still the subject of arguments a century old.
Experiments Spell Doom for Decades-Old Explanation of Quantum Weirdness|Philip Ball|October 20, 2022|Quanta Magazine
So in the spirit of embracing and exploring our current state of deeply vexed uncertainty, the Vox Book Club is going to spend November reading Susan Choi’s wicked and vexing Trust Exercise.
Lean into uncertainty with Trust Exercise, the Vox Book Club’s November pick|Constance Grady|October 30, 2020|Vox
I sometimes feel vexed by—but also addicted to—a sense of conflict, or a sense of being at odds with myself, or my choices.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When European politics became more vexed, so did Eurovision.
Why Russia Hates The Bearded Lady: The Hairy Politics of Eurovision|Tim Teeman|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A turbulent period in which national identity was always vexed by the slavery question up through 1861.
I'm Reading George Clinton for the 4th|Michael Tomasky|July 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For weeks since our pilgrimage, the furious debate over the Ground Zero mosque has vexed me.
A Muslim Questions the Mosque|Asra Q. Nomani|August 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST
So, feeling a little vexed by the GW incident, I took the purity test.
Yes, I'm a Pure Republican|Meghan McCain|January 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Its record is largely that of battles and sieges, of the brave adventure of discovery and the vexed slaughter of the nations.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
He felt vexed with himself for his lapse from good manners, yet hardly able to account for it.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
She felt vexed with her mother, vexed with her husband, vexed on all sides; and she took refuge in her fatigue and was silent.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
I was vexed that the woman of the party wore a dress evidently of French fashion: it spoiled the unity of the groupe.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
She stamped her foot prettily, imperiously, vexed at my refusal to go out of that weird place the way I had entered.
Valley of the Croen|Lee Tarbell

British Dictionary definitions for vexed

vexed

/ (vɛkst) /

adjective

annoyed, confused, or agitated

much debated and discussed (esp in the phrase a vexed question)

Derived forms of vexed

vexedly (ˈvɛksɪdlɪ), adverbvexedness, noun

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

vexed

Origin of vexed

OTHER WORDS FROM vexed

Words nearby vexed

Words related to vexed

How to use vexed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vexed

Derived forms of vexed