Vex

/vɛks/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To annoy, irritate..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To annoy, irritate.
2. (transitive) To cause (mental) suffering to; to distress.
3. (transitive, now rare) To trouble aggressively, to harass.
4. (transitive, rare) To twist, to weave.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To be irritated; to fret.
6. (transitive) To toss back and forth; to agitate; to disquiet.
7. (Scotland, obsolete) A trouble.

Example Sentences

Billy's professor was vexed by his continued failure to improve his grades.

The first thing that greets you on entering the church is a notice asking you not to vex the goat, since it renders valuable service in keeping the churchyard tidy.

I will not again vex her ear with words of love, however true, however deep: ours is an evil destiny, and we may not control it!

I vex my heart with fancies dim: ⁠He still outstript me in the race; ⁠It was but unity of place That made me dream I rank’d with him.

In that tyme Herode the kynge layed hondes on certayne of the congregaciõ, to vexe them.

some English wool, vexed in a Belgian loom

Wake when thou would'st wake, fear nought, vex for nought

White curl the waves, and the vexed ocean roars.

Synonyms for vex

Antonyms for vex

Related Words

Word Forms

• vexes
• vexing
• vexed
• vext

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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