Vexes

Vexes means to annoy, irritate, or provoke someone. It describes actions or situations that cause a person to feel frustrated, troubled, or slightly angered. The effect of vexing is generally a mild to moderate sense of agitation, rather than extreme rage. Often, something vexes a person by causing them to question, doubt, or deal with frustrating complexities. A vexing problem might be difficult to solve, and a vexing person can be intentionally or unintentionally annoying. The emotion of being vexed is more than an inconvenience, but not necessarily a major crisis.

Vexes meaning with examples

• The constant construction noise outside my window vexes me, disrupting my concentration. I've tried earplugs and white noise, but the jackhammer sounds still find their way in. This incessant racket prevents me from working and I can't wait for the project to be done.
• The tangled mess of holiday lights vexes Sarah every year. Each season, she battles with the knots and dead bulbs, promising herself to organize them better next time. Despite her efforts to keep it all neat, the lights become a snarled mess, each strand knotted into a stubborn ball.
• His persistent questions about my private life vexes me; I often feel I have to justify my choices. He presses me about my finances and relationships, causing me to clam up and avoid conversation. I find that the pressure to answer causes me to resent his line of questioning.
• The software update process that always seems to go wrong vexes me. It inevitably freezes at the worst possible moment and demands yet another restart. The system always starts to download it the moment I need to get work done and never when I have free time.