vexing
adjective
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Definition of vexing
: causing or likely to cause vexation : vexatious a vexing problem
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Synonyms for vexing
Synonyms
abrasive, aggravating, annoying, bothersome, chafing, disturbing, exasperating, frustrating, galling, irksome, irritating, maddening, nettlesome, nettling, peeving, pesky, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, pesty, rankling, riling, vexatious
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Examples of vexing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The former mine several miles north of Mount Dora is a vexing piece of a Florida jewel: the 3,600-acre Lake Norris Conservation Area. — Kevin Spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Florida plan for Lake County sand mine provokes residents' ire," 22 June 2018 Shakespeare’s frequent treatment of ethical and legal questions is marked far more by its ambiguity and unresolved tensions than by clear directives and propositions—this is part of what makes his work simultaneously playful and vexing. — Katie Kosma, Longreads, "Frailty, Thy Name Is Immigration Control," 15 June 2018 Shakespeare’s frequent treatment of ethical and legal questions is marked far more by its ambiguity and unresolved tensions than by clear directives and propositions—this is part of what makes his work simultaneously playful and vexing. — Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, "When Hamlet Starts Showing Up in Federal Court," 13 June 2018 Lots of economists and pundits are debating this vexing question. — Noah Smith, chicagotribune.com, "A job market this tight should deliver bigger raises," 11 June 2018 In this case, that would stand for most vexing play. — Stefan Stevenson, star-telegram, "LOB City: Rangers leave record-tying 17 on base in fifth straight loss to Astros," 9 June 2018 As a metaphor, the installation is at once a teasing critique and a tongue-in-cheek celebration of Pakistan’s jostling urbanism, giving exhibition-goers a taste of Karachi without sparing them its vexing particulars. — Ian Volner, Curbed, "Pakistan’s first-ever Venice Architecture Biennale pavilion is all about cities," 6 June 2018 Even pessimists acknowledged that Trump’s hard line against Pyongyang, after decades of less forceful U.S. effort, played a significant role in moving one of the world’s most vexing and threatening problems in a potentially positive direction. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump launches a rescue mission to save GOP seat in Pennsylvania special election," 9 Mar. 2018 Getty Images/EyeEm One of the more vexing aspects of climate change politics and policy is the longstanding gap between the models that project the physical effects of global warming and those that project the economic impacts. — David Roberts, Vox, "We are almost certainly underestimating the economic risks of climate change," 8 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vexing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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