vexed 1 of 2

adjective

ˈvekst How to pronounce vexed (audio)
Definition of vexednext
as in annoyed
subjected to and reacting with irritation my dog was clearly vexed with me for having been gone all week, and hardly greeted me when I came home

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vexed

2 of 2

verb

variants also vext
past tense of vex
1
as in bothered
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts my coworkers' loud, endless conversations vexed me

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2
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty a mystery novel that is sure to vex even the canniest readers

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vexed
Adjective
How to do that was a very vexed and complicated problem. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026 From his perspective, whatever happened was easily resolved — but working on a megahit can make matters more vexed. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 10 June 2026
Verb
In the meantime, the deadly encounter has reignited a contentious debate about body cameras, one that has long vexed local officials and pitted some of the city’s progressive groups against each other. — ABC News, 24 July 2026 Regime Change, the recent runaway bestseller by Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, has vexed the president further. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for vexed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vexed
  1. annoyed
  2. bothered
  3. puzzled
  4. irritated
  5. bugged
  6. baffled
  7. exasperated
  8. persecuted
Adjective
  • Issa acts on that notion by encouraging a threesome between herself, Paul Baker, and Anton, who has spent much of the episode getting increasingly annoyed about being left out of everyone else’s scheming.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Long enough for the audience to feel annoyed and become squeamish.
    — Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoyed
Verb
  • Somewhere right now, a nurse is scoring a newborn out of ten because Virginia saw over breakfast something nobody else had bothered to address.
    — Stacy L. Hambleton, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • What bothered me most was that the effects always lasted longer than the fun did.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • We have been puzzled, even exasperated at times, by the Heat’s level of patience with its roster over the past two seasons, particularly last year.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • However, the largest drop in June occurred among prime-age workers, leaving several economists puzzled and surprised.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of puzzled
Adjective
  • Nice people may of course become irritated, disappointed, jealous, or defensive, since niceness does not require sainthood.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Soto, looking irritated, reaches out and slaps him upside the head.
    — Sylvia Varnham O’Regan, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritated
Verb
  • The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.
    — Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, a law-enforcement agency known as NABU, had bugged Mindich’s apartment in Kyiv, and detectives picked up his conversations about Fire Point.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of bugged
Verb
  • She is baffled by the way her friends Moe and Fumina rail against their parents, especially when Yuko is always holding back at home, forever walking on eggshells.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Al Roker was baffled to come face to face with his doppelgänger on the Today show plaza.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of baffled
Adjective
  • John Stewart’s exasperated adieu to his alien abductors doubles as a meta acknowledgement of Episode 2’s exposition-heavy plotting.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Aug. 2026
  • These were voices—complaining, confiding, exasperated, distressed—that had not been heard before, as if the novel were a speaking tube cued to an underground rumble.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of exasperated
Verb
  • García Luna pledged to restore independence and public confidence in the Public Ministry and began reviewing cases involving officials, journalists, and others who alleged that they had been politically persecuted under the previous administration.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Many Marranos persecuted by the Inquisition did secretly maintain a Jewish identity.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of persecuted

Browse Nearby Words

vexatious
vexed
vexes
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Cite this Entry

“Vexed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vexed. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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