vexes

VERB

distress, bother

Synonyms

STRONGEST

afflict agitate annoy displease disquiet disturb embarrass exasperate gall infuriate irk irritate offend peeve perplex rile torment

STRONG

abrade aggravate anger chafe depress eat fret harass harry hassle molest needle nettle pester pique plague provoke rasp ride tease trouble upset worry

WEAK

be at get in one's hair get under one's skin give a bad time give a hard time grate on put out tick off turn off

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aid appease calm comfort delight ease help make happy please quiet soothe

STRONG

assist cheer mollify support

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That question vexes former Royal Netherlands Air Force Apache attack helicopter pilot Roy Lindelauf, who is now a professor of data science in the department of intelligent systems of Tilburg University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

It is this uncertainty that vexes political pundits and campaign strategists alike.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2024

It vexes opponents and forces them into bad looks.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 17, 2024

Regarding the Dec. 4 Metro article “Metro’s focus on evasion vexes kids”:

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2022

But for some reason the lesson vexes me.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein