vex

[veks]

See more synonyms for vex 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.

Origin of vex

1375–1425; late Middle English vexen < Old French vexer < Latin vexāre to shake, jolt, harass, annoy, frequentative of vehere to carry, convey

Related formsvex·er, nounvex·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for vex

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1. anger, irk, fret, nettle. 2. hector, harry, harass.

Antonyms for vex

1. delight.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for vexes

annoy, disturb, perplex, exasperate, displease, peeve, infuriate, disquiet, irritate, offend, rile, irk, torment, agitate, gall, embarrass, afflict, pique, hassle, anger

Examples from the Web for vexes

Contemporary Examples of vexes

You can understand why it vexes supporters of activist government.
David's Book Club: What Are Liberals Thinking?
David Frum
July 13, 2012

Historical Examples of vexes

But my younger daughter, Mrs General, rather worries and vexes my thoughts.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Oh, you know, my pet—I'm sorry if it vexes you—I loved that baby!
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola
It's not the giving him the money that vexes me, but the knowledge that he must make a bad use of it.
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola
If the child only were a boy there would be no need of Floyd marrying, and it vexes her.
Floyd Grandon's Honor
Amanda Minnie Douglas
That is what vexes me so terribly—to think it was my own fault!
A Christmas Posy
Mary Louisa Stewart Molesworth

British Dictionary definitions for vexes

vex

verb (tr)

to anger or annoy
to confuse; worry
archaic to agitate

Derived Formsvexer, 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

Word Origin and History for vexes

vex

early 15c., from Middle French vexer, from Latin vexare "to attack, harass, trouble," from vexus, collateral form of vectus, past participle of vehere "to draw, carry" (see vehicle). Related: Vexed; vexing.