as in frustrating
causing annoyance
the constantly changing schedule was somewhat vexing, but I coped
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in annoying
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
my coworkers' loud, endless conversations vexed me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
a mystery novel that is sure to vex even the canniest readers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vexing
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The crumbling support columns are so weak a subcontractor quit trying to repair them because the work was so dangerous, vexing architects and engineers when their poor condition was first uncovered last fall.
—Richard Mize, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The hydrogen leaks and unrelated helium blockages stalled the flight for two months, coming on top of years of vexing delays and cost overruns.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vexing
Adjective
The most recent one, starting in November 2022, saw Iger confronting vexing issues like AI, labor unrest and the need to lay off thousands of workers amid sweeping industry consolidation.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
The crumbling support columns are so weak a subcontractor quit trying to repair them because the work was so dangerous, vexing architects and engineers when their poor condition was first uncovered last fall.
—Richard Mize, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
The question of how to make a business out of those connections has proven as vexing for Wang and Bluesky as for any number of earlier startups, and the community’s top users have been experimenting with a variety of ways to make money.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The hydrogen leaks and unrelated helium blockages stalled the flight for two months, coming on top of years of vexing delays and cost overruns.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vexing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vexing
Adjective
-
Employing a fictional slasher movie of yesteryear as the portal into a conversation about self and desire, this is heady, strange stuff, frustrating at times but captivating in both its confusion and its honesty.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
-
Witt is pacing toward a historic, never-seen-it-before season — for all the right individual reasons, but for all the frustrating organizational reasons.—
Sam McDowell
Updated May 22,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Weird; annoying even – but the floaters did not seem urgent.—
Peter Ubel,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
My biggest concern about adding a tracking device around Mya’s neck was annoying her or creating disruption.—
Tyler Hayes,
PC Magazine,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Johnson insists that feels fine, so the loss of velocity is puzzling to the Angels.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
18 May 2026
-
The Boeing order is especially puzzling as China is rolling out its indigenous C919 passenger aircraft with great fanfare.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
This is a company that built its reputation on engineering discipline, financial caution, and an almost irritating level of consistency.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 May 2026
-
Regulators cannot chase every irritating screen on every app and website.—
Gregory M. Dickinson,
The Conversation,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The tears then started to flow, as Zheng took deep breaths and explained that the foot issue was to reapply tape to a foot blister that had been bothering her.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
At the same time, the regime has stopped bothering to sell a narrative of national restoration or modernization to the rest of the country, which is losing enormous amounts of blood and treasure in the battlefields of Ukraine.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The slow starts are baffling to Becht.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In a statement to local media, the town government said Fox Rothschild has long represented Rolesville and called the incident deeply disturbing.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
-
In September 2016, economics professor Matthew Hendricks and some 3,000 other employees at the University of Tulsa received a disturbing email from the administration.—
Matt Schifrin,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Get clear about what’s bugging you.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
-
Woke up this morning, still kind of bugging me.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vexing. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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