annoy implies a wearing on the nerves by persistent petty unpleasantness.
their constant complaining annoys us
vex implies greater provocation and stronger disturbance and usually connotes anger but sometimes perplexity or anxiety.
vexed by her son's failure to clean his room
irk stresses difficulty in enduring and the resulting weariness or impatience of spirit.
careless waste irks the boss
bother suggests interference with comfort or peace of mind.
don't bother me while I'm reading
Examples of vex in a Sentence
This problem has vexed researchers for years.
We were vexed by the delay.
Recent Examples on the WebRecently, the story has been revisited by writers and filmmakers in a wave of media projects that has vexed Ms. Mendieta, the administrator of her aunt’s estate — particularly when the works appear to focus on the death.—Kate Dwyer, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Inflation and rising interest rates are pinching urban consumers
Inflation is vexing consumers in several cities that sit near the top of the new WalletHub ranking, researchers said.—USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 Therein lies the problem: The contract was ratified in November and GM has yet to commit to the timing or other details, leaving Ruddy vexed.—Detroit Free Press, 13 Feb. 2024 As impressive as Murray was, he was vexed at the foul line just as much as his teammates.—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024 Vehicle pursuits are among the most dangerous activities law enforcement perform and the challenge of striking the right balance with them has vexed officials across the country.—Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2024 Liu said one issue that vexed the department during its investigation was whether trapping the parrots violates any law.—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2023 Amazon and Walmart continue to make moves that look less like pure-play retail – which will continue to vex all the other pure-plays in the market.—Nikki Baird, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 His eccentric upstairs lodger Coco (Rebecca F. Wright) is a COVID denier who’s a bad influence on Bahlul, further vexing Terry.—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vex.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French vexer, from Latin vexare to agitate, harry; probably akin to Latin vehere to convey — more at way
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