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, carking, chafing, disturbing, exasperating, frustrating, galling, irksome, irritating, maddening, nettlesome, nettling, peeving, pesky, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, pesty, plaguey (also plaguy), rankling, rebarbative, riling, vexatious
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Examples of vexing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Southwest Key has long branded itself as an angel of the borderlands, stepping in to help solve one of the nation’s most vexing social services problems, with constantly changing demands amid shifts in immigration policy. — Mark Collette, Joshua Fechter And Bill Lambrecht, San Antonio Express-News, "Companies earn billions to shelter immigrant children," 29 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 Any state trying a go-it-alone strategy will face challenges possibly more vexing than the ones Congress would confront in passing a nationwide law. — New York Times, "Single-Payer Health Care in California: Here’s What It Would Take," 25 May 2018 Rarely drawing public awareness, biosolid sludge is a costly bane of cities and counties that operate sewage plants and one of Florida’s most vexing and environmental challenges. — Kevin Spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Rare Florida jewel, Blue Cypress Lake, sickens with pollution," 11 Apr. 2018 The courts have proved vexing for Trump since his first days in office. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Republican judges warn of ‘tyranny’ as they block Trump on ‘sanctuary cities’," 20 Apr. 2018 Friday’s strong jobs report makes the modest inflation numbers more vexing. — Justin Lahart, WSJ, "When the Fed Wishes for Inflation," 13 Mar. 2018 Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has been out since mid-May with more vexing leg injuries. — James Wagner, New York Times, "Todd Frazier Heads for Second Stint on the Disabled List," 9 July 2018 Part of what makes these questions so vexing is our desire to answer them decisively, as a unified, monolithic listening public. — Chris Richards, chicagotribune.com, "The 5 hardest questions in pop music," 3 July 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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