as in frustrating
causing annoyance
the constantly changing schedule was somewhat vexing, but I coped
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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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vexing
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2025
What can be vexing to those outside the debate is that both sides claim the altruist mantle.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Now, more and more people are making a case for appreciating those once-vexing clovers.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vexing
Adjective
Sneaking one command on the back of another As noted, prompt injections are one of the most vexing vulnerabilities facing AI chatbots.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2025
What can be vexing to those outside the debate is that both sides claim the altruist mantle.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
Verb
One vexing issue that adds to the complexity is that some AIs are better than other ones at figuring out certain types of things.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Now, more and more people are making a case for appreciating those once-vexing clovers.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vexing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vexing
Adjective
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Her list continues with small but frustrating oversights.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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But an early lead slipped away by halftime — and eventually turned into a frustrating 2-1 loss for Sporting at Children’s Mercy Park.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Sounders’ defenders swarmed Messi from the first minute, and midfielder Obed Vargas was particularly physical, annoying the Argentine icon time and again.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
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In fairness, Arsenal seemed to be annoying Liverpool for much of the first hour.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After getting entangled in a puzzling murder, the two go on the run to solve the case while also trying to piece their relationship back together.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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Colorado opened its 2025 season with a puzzling 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech on Friday night.—
Shane Shoemaker,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Nina not being there contributed to one of the most irritating moments in this season so far, with Antonio smugly blowing a kiss into the camera for her and gloating about being in the top after her harsh critique last week.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current event.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Lead with Gratitude and Grace Calling out someone for bothering you is always tricky.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
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That appeared to be a distraction at times to Anisimova, who motioned to her team in the stands that something was bothering her during ball tosses for serves.—
Howard Fendrich,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That’s baffling to me that it was even checked.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That's depicted in a disturbing, if somewhat inscrutable, scene.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Possibly, something disturbing will occur because someone has decided to make emotional demands on you.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The criminal justice system In early April, a man failed to show up for his pretrial conference in Canyon County, perplexing his lawyer.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vexing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vexing. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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