vexatious

adjective

vex·​a·​tious vek-ˈsā-shəs How to pronounce vexatious (audio)
1
a
: causing vexation : distressing
vexatious delays
b
: intended to harass
a vexatious lawsuit
2
: full of disorder or stress : troubled
a vexatious period in her life
vexatiously adverb
vexatiousness noun

Examples of vexatious in a Sentence

those vexatious phone calls from telemarketers during the dinner hour
Recent Examples on the Web But what used to be a vexatious burden is now a source of daily torment. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2024 Belarus sits like a large ellipsis at the center of Europe, an authoritarian puzzle to much of the outside world, worrying to its immediate neighbors, and a vexatious ally to Russia. Andrew Wilson, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012 Ragweed, mesquite, junipers and Russian olive trees produce less showy flowers but some of the most vexatious airborne irritants. The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2023 But the stay-at-home orders designed to stop a viral spread for months also evaporated some of the more vexatious things city dwellers endure, including snarls of slow-moving tourists, long lines for MetroCard vending machines and, perhaps most notably, traffic. New York Times, 29 May 2021 Trump's dominance of the party has been vexatious for McDaniel in her role as party leader. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2023 To deal with one especially vexatious instance of that, the NASA folks decided to just throw the motor into reverse and gun it, which turned out to work. Kyle Smith, WSJ, 3 Nov. 2022 Colin Robinson, who survives by draining others of their energy with his vexatious personality, is often the bane of the other vampires’ existence. Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Aug. 2022 There was also a vexatious media that was dominated by critical columnists like the cerebral Walter Lippmann and the gossip-friendly Drew Pearson. Frank Gannon, WSJ, 22 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vexatious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of vexatious was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near vexatious

Cite this Entry

“Vexatious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vexatious. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vexatious

adjective
vex·​a·​tious vek-ˈsā-shəs How to pronounce vexatious (audio)
: causing vexation : annoying, distressing
vexatious delays
vexatiously adverb
vexatiousness noun

Legal Definition

vexatious

adjective
vex·​a·​tious vek-ˈsā-shəs How to pronounce vexatious (audio)
: lacking a sufficient ground and serving only to annoy or harass when viewed objectively
disciplined the attorney for engaging in vexatious litigation
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