Dictionary entry details
• VEX (verb)
Meaning:
Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Synonyms:
rile; nark; irritate; gravel; devil; annoy; vex; bother; nettle; rag; get at; get to; chafe
Context examples:
Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me / It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves
Hypernyms (to "vex" is one way to...):
displease (give displeasure to)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "vex"):
get; get under one's skin (irritate)
eat into; fret; grate; rankle (gnaw into; make resentful or angry)
peeve (cause to be annoyed, irritated, or resentful)
ruffle (trouble or vex)
fret (cause annoyance in)
beset; chevvy; chevy; chivvy; chivy; harass; harry; hassle; molest; plague; provoke (annoy continually or chronically)
antagonise; antagonize (provoke the hostility of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Sentence examples:
The bad news will vex him
The performance is likely to vex Sue
Meaning:
Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Synonyms:
vex; worry
Context example:
I cannot sleep--my daughter's health is worrying me
Hypernyms (to "vex" is one way to...):
cark; disorder; disquiet; distract; perturb; trouble; unhinge (disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed)
Cause:
worry (be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "vex"):
nag (worry persistently)
eat; eat on (worry or cause anxiety in a persistent way)
misgive (suggest fear or doubt)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Meaning:
Change the arrangement or position of
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
raise up; disturb; commove; stir up; vex; shake up; agitate
Hypernyms (to "vex" is one way to...):
displace; move (cause to move, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "vex"):
beat; scramble (stir vigorously)
toss (agitate)
rile; roil (make turbid by stirring up the sediments of)
poke (stir by poking)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Subject to prolonged examination, discussion, or deliberation
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Context example:
vex the subject of the death penalty
Hypernyms (to "vex" is one way to...):
debate; deliberate (discuss the pros and cons of an issue)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Be a mystery or bewildering to
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Synonyms:
nonplus; baffle; bewilder; dumbfound; flummox; puzzle; perplex; mystify; stupefy; amaze; gravel; vex; pose; stick; beat; get
Context examples:
This beats me! / Got me--I don't know the answer! / a vexing problem / This question really stuck me
Hypernyms (to "vex" is one way to...):
bedevil; befuddle; confound; confuse; discombobulate; fox; fuddle; throw (be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "vex"):
mix up; stump (cause to be perplexed or confounded)
riddle (set a difficult problem or riddle)
elude; escape (be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s somebody
