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Synonyms

vex

American  
[veks] / vɛks /

verb (used with object)

  1. to irritate; annoy; provoke.

    His noisy neighbors often vexed him.
    Synonyms:
    nettle, fret, irk, anger
    Antonyms:
    delight

  2. to torment; trouble; distress; plague; worry.

    Lack of money vexes many.

    Her arthritis vexed her all night.
    Synonyms:
    harass, harry, hector

  3. to confuse or bewilder; confound.

    The formula vexes most of our students at first.

  4. to discuss or debate (a subject, question, etc.) with vigor or at great length.

    They vexed the question endlessly without agreeing.

  5. to disturb by motion; stir up; toss about.

vex British  
/ vɛks /

verb

  1. to anger or annoy

  2. to confuse; worry

  3. archaic to agitate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • vexer noun
  • vexing adjective
  • vexingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of vex

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English vexen, from Old French vexer, from Latin vexāre “to shake, jolt, harass, annoy,” frequentative of vehere “to carry, convey”

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.