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vex
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- pronunciation:
- veks
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb), Grammatical Patterns
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
vexes, vexing, vexed |
| definition 1: |
to annoy or irritate.
The long wait for their food vexed the customers.The traffic at the bridge entrance vexed the taxi driver.Something about her tone of voice vexed him that morning.It vexes him that he can't do simple things now without help.[it + verb + smby + that + clause
]
It always vexed my mother when we didn't come to the table when the food was ready.[it + verb + smby + when + clause
]
- synonyms:
- annoy, bother, gall, irk, irritate, miff, nettle, plague, rile, trouble, worry
- antonyms:
- soothe
- similar words:
- aggravate, anger, chafe, cloud, exasperate, gripe, harass, hound, nag, offend, peeve, pester, pique, provoke, rasp, ruffle, torment
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| definition 2: |
to puzzle or worry.
The various problems with the traffic flow vexed the city's planners.She was vexed by her daughter's hostility and felt powerless to do anything about it.- synonyms:
- bother, disquiet, disturb, perturb, puzzle, trouble, upset, worry
- similar words:
- afflict, baffle, bewilder, buffalo, confound, confuse, distress, mystify, perplex, plague
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| related words: |
badger, bait, beset, concern, devil, eat, gnaw, harry, incense, madden, persecute, pose, trouble, worry |
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| derivations: |
vexingly (adv.), vexer (n.) |
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