Synonyms

vexing

American

[vek-sing] / ˈvɛk sɪŋ /

adjective

irritating, provoking, or annoying.

Automatic file recovery reintroduced errors already corrected at the proofing stage—which was very vexing.
tormenting, troubling, or distressing.

She came to see racism as her country's most vexing problem.

Other Word Forms

vexingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of vexing

vex ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

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.

The world’s pre-eminent military power must rethink its tried-and-tested tools and tactics even as it girds for one of its most vexing challenges since World War II: potential great-power conflict with China.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

That’s why the recent spate of economic data has been so vexing for Wall Street.

From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025

What is more vexing is diagnosing what the issue actually is.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

What to do about vegetation like shrubs, plants and grasses within the first 5 feet of homes has proved more vexing.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025

The Soviets' first nuclear test presented a vexing question for Agent Robert Lamphere.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023