vexed

adjective

ˈvekst 

: affected with, marked by, or causing trouble or vexation: such as

a

: feeling or showing irritation, annoyance, or distress

He had a vexed look, as if irritated at having to direct yet another … lost tourist to more celebrated Washington landmarks.

—Larry L. King

… I plainly perceived him to be extremely vexed at me …

—Herman Melville

b

: difficult and often frustrating to understand or deal with

a vexed question

Merchants such as the Polos sought to circumvent the vexed system of coins, with its inevitable confusion and debasement, by trading in gems such as rubies and sapphires and in pearls.

—Laurence Bergreen

But the coming months—when America will have to vote for or against China in matters of trade, proliferation and human rights—will severely test the White House's ability to manage a perpetually vexed relationship.

—Tom Post

Synonyms

• aggravated
• annoyed
• bothered
• exasperated
• galled
• irked
• irritated
• narked [British]
• peeved
• put out
• scunnered [chiefly Scottish]
• teed off

Examples of vexed in a Sentence

She was feeling somewhat vexed.

my dog was clearly vexed with me for having been gone all week, and hardly greeted me when I came home

Recent Examples on the Web

Though a seven shot gap to leader Spaun is more than closable for a mercurial talent chasing an unprecedented third consecutive Players crown, Scheffler – typically unflappable – looked uncharacteristically vexed after issues with the strong winds and putting. —Jack Bantock, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025

More broadly, Cairo seeks to redeem the vexed legacy of Camp David. —Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2025

Artist agents find their roles less vexed, embracing a new value system that hews closer to the way the market actually operates. —Natasha Degen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024

Measuring innovation is one of the most vexed problems that a corporation faces. —Andrew Binns, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for vexed

• complexed
• deflexed
• perplexed
• plaintext
• pretext
• reflexed
• subtext
• ciphertext
• hypertext
• multiplexed
• teletext
• flexed