as in annoyed
subjected to and reacting with irritation
my dog was clearly vexed with me for having been gone all week, and hardly greeted me when I came home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also vext
1
as in bothered
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
my coworkers' loud, endless conversations vexed me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
a mystery novel that is sure to vex even the canniest readers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vexed
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The vexed issue has been a matter of negotiation between actors’ union Equity and producer trade body Pact for more than a year.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
These sorts of technical challenges have vexed nuclear advocates who are fighting against a decades-long stagnation in nuclear development, triggered primarily by safety concerns.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vexed
Adjective
Brooding in the historical background are the plantations, the vexed issue of where the money comes from that underwrites all this charm, these impeccable manners, this unsteady gaiety.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The vexed issue has been a matter of negotiation between actors’ union Equity and producer trade body Pact for more than a year.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Their intimate sparring reflected vexed, unresolved tensions about science and government.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
These sorts of technical challenges have vexed nuclear advocates who are fighting against a decades-long stagnation in nuclear development, triggered primarily by safety concerns.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vexed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vexed
Adjective
-
Still annoyed, weirdly offended, and slightly spiraling.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
6 Apr. 2026
-
That would have been plenty, but a third section features Andrew Dismukes as an annoyed father refusing to listen to his 6-year-old son’s words.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There’s a big ensemble, elaborate costumes, a book that winks at every Rodgers and Hammerstein inconsistency that has ever bothered you, and, briefly, a dream ballet.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Only people like Dennis bothered to notice.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His award recognizes his contributions to settle several questions in differential geometry that had puzzled mathematicians since the 1970s and 1980s.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The diminutive scale of Giacometti’s proposal—a nondescript bust atop a small square base—puzzled his colleagues.—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
More than a decade later, Silverman would remain irritated by this.—
Jennifer Armstrong,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Everybody’s just irritated with each other.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Three people told the Washington Examiner that Scott had become paranoid that Lewandowski was spying on him through his work phone and had bugged his office.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Underwood went on The Bachelor as a straight man, made a connection with Randolph, broke up with her, bugged her car, and then was hit with a restraining order.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Perry says that the label wanted to call the record 4 Non Blondes, which baffled her.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The Brotherly Bultema Battery of junior pitcher Maddux and sophomore catcher Nolan had the South Lake hitters baffled.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Woe be to the moony boyfriend or, in Nel’s case, exasperated girlfriend (Agata Trzebuchowska), left behind to dust off the ash.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
PepsiCo began cutting prices on value brands like Chester’s and Santitas last spring to win back exasperated customers.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Alex isn’t persecuted for being trans.—
Brittany Delay,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Jews were not necessarily being persecuted in Hungary at that point.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vexed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vexed. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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