dict_dl/en_MerriamWebster/vex_MW.json

{
  "vex":{
    "antonyms":[],
    "definitions":{
      ": puzzle , baffle":[
        "a problem to vex the keenest wit"
      ],
      ": to bring physical distress to":[
        "a headache vexed him all morning"
      ],
      ": to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to":[
        "the restaurant is vexed by slow service"
      ],
      ": to irritate or annoy by petty provocations : harass":[
        "vexed by the children"
      ],
      ": to shake or toss about":[]
    },
    "examples":[
      "This problem has vexed researchers for years.",
      "We were vexed by the delay.",
      "Recent Examples on the Web",
      "Usually, that was enough to vex the sometimes-ornery geese into scattering with little to no serious repercussions for Widman or the pair of helpers who abetted him in collecting eggs. \u2014 Marion Renault, The Atlantic , 19 May 2022",
      "While most economists tend to acknowledge the same causes of inflation, many disagree which elements are most driving the price increases that continue to vex American consumers. \u2014 NBC News , 16 Feb. 2022",
      "A down year for potential franchise passers would likely vex most teams that landed the No. 1 pick. \u2014 Michael Middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY , 13 Jan. 2022",
      "The loyalty problem, so evident with the ANAP, soon would vex the ALP, too. \u2014 David Axe, Forbes , 30 Aug. 2021",
      "Among the many things that vex him is Matthiessen\u2019s equanimity in the face of his failure to see a snow leopard, the sense that its absence was just as significant as its presence. \u2014 Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker , 5 July 2021",
      "But even with better radar detection, the physics of hypersonic weapons will still vex the defenders. \u2014 Michael Peck, Forbes , 17 June 2021",
      "In this self-consciously boring approach, Russia would resemble any number of other countries whose political cultures and provocations vex American policymakers, but that are not perceived as nemeses. \u2014 Michael Kimmage, The New Republic , 9 June 2021",
      "The lane reduction will undoubtedly vex some motorists. \u2014 BostonGlobe.com , 23 Apr. 2021"
    ],
    "first_known_use":{
      "15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a":""
    },
    "history_and_etymology":{
      "Middle English, from Anglo-French vexer , from Latin vexare to agitate, harry; probably akin to Latin vehere to convey \u2014 more at way":""
    },
    "pronounciation":[
      "\u02c8veks"
    ],
    "synonym_discussion":"Choose the Right Synonym for vex annoy , vex , irk , bother mean to upset a person's composure. annoy implies a wearing on the nerves by persistent petty unpleasantness. their constant complaining annoys us vex implies greater provocation and stronger disturbance and usually connotes anger but sometimes perplexity or anxiety. vexed by her son's failure to clean his room irk stresses difficulty in enduring and the resulting weariness or impatience of spirit. careless waste irks the boss bother suggests interference with comfort or peace of mind. don't bother me while I'm reading",
    "synonyms":[
      "aggravate",
      "annoy",
      "bother",
      "bug",
      "burn (up)",
      "chafe",
      "eat",
      "exasperate",
      "frost",
      "gall",
      "get",
      "grate",
      "gripe",
      "hack (off)",
      "irk",
      "irritate",
      "itch",
      "nark",
      "nettle",
      "peeve",
      "persecute",
      "pique",
      "put out",
      "rasp",
      "rile",
      "ruffle",
      "spite"
    ],
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220706-170624",
    "type":[
      "verb"
    ]
  },
  "vexation":{
    "antonyms":[],
    "definitions":{
      ": a cause of trouble : affliction":[],
      ": the act of harassing or vexing : troubling":[],
      ": the quality or state of being vexed : irritation":[]
    },
    "examples":[
      "the problems and vexations of everyday life",
      "the repeated vexations guaranteed that she wouldn't get any work done",
      "Recent Examples on the Web",
      "The #jollofwars have turned Nigerians and Ghanaians from friends to foes, but also united them in their vexation at British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver\u2019s twist of the famous rice and meat dish. \u2014 Uwagbale Edward-ekpu, Quartz , 17 Dec. 2021",
      "Meanwhile, at the Capitol, multiple Democrats piled on with expressions of surprise and vexation at Manchin\u2019s seemingly sudden change of position. \u2014 Grace Segers, The New Republic , 16 Dec. 2021",
      "Fishing rights have been a growing point of vexation between Britain and the European Union since Britons voted to leave the bloc in 2016. \u2014 Washington Post , 28 Oct. 2021",
      "And this spluttering vexation is comical coming from a man who is veritably the L. Ron Hubbard of the Churchill cult. \u2014 Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The New Republic , 14 Oct. 2021",
      "The owners tend to be torn between a deep sense of pride and a constant vexation . \u2014 Washington Post , 23 June 2021",
      "And there's the potential for Biden, who has Irish roots, to register his vexation over Johnson's contributions to a straining of the fragile peace in Northern Ireland. \u2014 BostonGlobe.com , 9 June 2021",
      "And naturally, all this vexation just might be blocking the path to love. \u2014 Washington Post , 12 May 2021",
      "Nestled into and around Scott\u2019s tale of vexation are Twilight Zone versions of QAnon, the Proud Boys, the manosphere, neo-Nazis and other bizarre phenomena of our time. \u2014 Molly Young, Vulture , 7 May 2021"
    ],
    "first_known_use":{
      "15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3":""
    },
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "pronounciation":[
      "vek-\u02c8s\u0101-sh\u0259n"
    ],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "synonyms":[
      "aggravation",
      "annoyance",
      "bedevilment",
      "botheration",
      "bothering",
      "bugging",
      "disturbance",
      "harassment",
      "harrying",
      "importunity",
      "pestering",
      "teasing"
    ],
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220707-091539",
    "type":[
      "noun"
    ]
  },
  "vexatious":{
    "antonyms":[],
    "definitions":{
      ": causing vexation : distressing":[
        "vexatious delays"
      ],
      ": full of disorder or stress : troubled":[
        "a vexatious period in her life"
      ],
      ": intended to harass":[
        "a vexatious lawsuit"
      ]
    },
    "examples":[
      "those vexatious phone calls from telemarketers during the dinner hour",
      "Recent Examples on the Web",
      "There was also a vexatious media that was dominated by critical columnists like the cerebral Walter Lippmann and the gossip-friendly Drew Pearson. \u2014 Frank Gannon, WSJ , 22 Mar. 2022",
      "Where commuters might see vexatious gridlock, of course, Massell sees glorious progress. \u2014 Jennifer Brett, ajc , 5 Mar. 2020",
      "Democracies must also provide more protection for journalists and researchers working to uncover Russian corruption within our societies, especially by ending oligarchs\u2019 prolific use of vexatious lawsuits to deter and impoverish opponents. \u2014 Nate Sibley, National Review , 23 Feb. 2022",
      "One legislator wonders if news organizations could be labeled \u2018 vexatious \u2019 for its GRAMA requests. \u2014 Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune , 4 Feb. 2022",
      "Donald has used this type of vexatious litigation to intimidate, harass and bully for years! \u2014 Paula Reid, CNN , 28 Sep. 2021",
      "Madeira law director Brian Fox said the city is deciding whether to appeal the vexatious litigator ruling. \u2014 Jeanne Houck, The Enquirer , 24 Sep. 2021",
      "There are a host of provisions within American law designed to prevent precisely this sort of vexatious litigation, and yet almost none of them seemed to have fired properly in this case. \u2014 The Editors, National Review , 19 Mar. 2021",
      "Frontiers have long been a vexatious subject around here. \u2014 Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker , 16 Nov. 2020"
    ],
    "first_known_use":{
      "1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a":""
    },
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "pronounciation":[
      "vek-\u02c8s\u0101-sh\u0259s"
    ],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "synonyms":[
      "abrasive",
      "aggravating",
      "annoying",
      "bothersome",
      "carking",
      "chafing",
      "disturbing",
      "exasperating",
      "frustrating",
      "galling",
      "irksome",
      "irritating",
      "maddening",
      "nettlesome",
      "nettling",
      "peeving",
      "pesky",
      "pestiferous",
      "pestilent",
      "pestilential",
      "pesty",
      "plaguey",
      "plaguy",
      "rankling",
      "rebarbative",
      "riling",
      "vexing"
    ],
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220706-174434",
    "type":[
      "adjective",
      "adverb",
      "noun"
    ]
  },
  "vexed":{
    "antonyms":[],
    "definitions":{
      ": affected with, marked by, or causing trouble or vexation : such as":[],
      ": difficult and often frustrating to understand or deal with":[
        "a vexed question",
        "Merchants such as the Polos sought to circumvent the vexed system of coins, with its inevitable confusion and debasement, by trading in gems such as rubies and sapphires and in pearls.",
        "\u2014 Laurence Bergreen",
        "But the coming months\u2014when America will have to vote for or against China in matters of trade, proliferation and human rights\u2014will severely test the White House's ability to manage a perpetually vexed relationship.",
        "\u2014 Tom Post"
      ],
      ": feeling or showing irritation, annoyance, or distress":[
        "He had a vexed look, as if irritated at having to direct yet another \u2026 lost tourist to more celebrated Washington landmarks.",
        "\u2014 Larry L. King",
        "\u2026 I plainly perceived him to be extremely vexed at me \u2026",
        "\u2014 Herman Melville"
      ]
    },
    "examples":[
      "She was feeling somewhat vexed .",
      "my dog was clearly vexed with me for having been gone all week, and hardly greeted me when I came home",
      "Recent Examples on the Web",
      "The lower molar is the first fossil evidence placing Denisovans in Southeast Asia and may help untangle a puzzle that had long vexed experts in human evolution. \u2014 Katie Hunt, CNN , 17 May 2022",
      "On the vexed subject of his sexuality, the journal entries only deepen the mystery. \u2014 Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker , 9 May 2022",
      "After years of industry hype over the scale and potential of China, some studio executives remain vexed over how speculative their business in the market has always been, no matter how large the headline box office hauls. \u2014 Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter , 31 Mar. 2022",
      "And the trial has touched only lightly on the vexed issue of whether, as happened often in postcolonial Africa, foreign powers had a hand in the young leader\u2019s death. \u2014 New York Times , 9 Mar. 2022",
      "But many thorny complications remain, from a vexed labor market to a supply chain in deep distress and a seemingly ceaseless pandemic. \u2014 Washington Post , 18 Feb. 2022",
      "Creighton coach Greg McDermott was so vexed that he was called for a technical for the first time since 2018. \u2014 David Woods, The Indianapolis Star , 9 Feb. 2022",
      "Charlotte dealing with her child\u2019s gender identity) and lows (Carrie\u2019s vexed boss, Che; the episode-long subplot about an apartment beep). \u2014 Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic , 4 Feb. 2022",
      "Wilson\u2019s quirks and anxieties \u2014 the vexed relationship with fiction, the terror of impermanence, the hunger to observe \u2014 seem to have channeled him toward a lovely alternative. \u2014 New York Times , 7 Dec. 2021"
    ],
    "first_known_use":{
      "15th century, in the meaning defined above":""
    },
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "pronounciation":[
      "\u02c8vekst"
    ],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "synonyms":[
      "aggravated",
      "annoyed",
      "bothered",
      "exasperated",
      "galled",
      "irked",
      "irritated",
      "narked",
      "peeved",
      "put out",
      "scunnered",
      "teed off"
    ],
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220708-114659",
    "type":[
      "adjective"
    ]
  },
  "vexedly":{
    "antonyms":[],
    "definitions":{
      ": with vexation":[]
    },
    "examples":[],
    "first_known_use":{
      "1748, in the meaning defined above":""
    },
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "pronounciation":[
      "\u02c8vek-s\u0259d-l\u0113",
      "\u02c8vekst-l\u0113"
    ],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "synonyms":[],
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220708-115026",
    "type":[
      "adverb"
    ]
  },
  "vexing":{
    "antonyms":[],
    "definitions":{
      ": causing or likely to cause vexation : vexatious":[
        "a vexing problem"
      ]
    },
    "examples":[
      "the constantly changing schedule was somewhat vexing , but I coped",
      "Recent Examples on the Web",
      "As climate change intensifies, septic failures are emerging as a vexing issue for local governments. \u2014 Jim Morrison, Anchorage Daily News , 13 Apr. 2022",
      "Perhaps even more vexing than Wiggins\u2019 offense, though, has been his defense. \u2014 Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle , 31 Mar. 2022",
      "The latest study addressed what its authors described as a more vexing question: Do cities, however grid-like, have the effect of honing people\u2019s navigational skills by offering them a plethora of options for moving around",
      "Most California voters think government is doing a terrible job addressing one of the state\u2019s most vexing problems: homelessness. \u2014 Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle , 17 Mar. 2022",
      "His book, The Homeboy Way: A Radical Approach to Business and Life, gives leaders practical ways to address some of the most vexing social issues of our time. \u2014 Thomas Vozzo, Fortune , 15 Mar. 2022",
      "But integrating them into low-income communities is a more vexing \u2014 and urgent \u2014 policy issue. \u2014 Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times , 9 Mar. 2022",
      "Walsh said the problem, which is particularly bad around the high school, middle school and Goodwin Elementary School, is chronic and vexing . \u2014 Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com , 17 Mar. 2022",
      "Cera plays him with a slightly flat affect that reads as vexing or charming depending on the scene. \u2014 Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times , 17 Mar. 2022"
    ],
    "first_known_use":{
      "1569, in the meaning defined above":""
    },
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "pronounciation":[
      "\u02c8vek-si\u014b"
    ],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "synonyms":[
      "abrasive",
      "aggravating",
      "annoying",
      "bothersome",
      "carking",
      "chafing",
      "disturbing",
      "exasperating",
      "frustrating",
      "galling",
      "irksome",
      "irritating",
      "maddening",
      "nettlesome",
      "nettling",
      "peeving",
      "pesky",
      "pestiferous",
      "pestilent",
      "pestilential",
      "pesty",
      "plaguey",
      "plaguy",
      "rankling",
      "rebarbative",
      "riling",
      "vexatious"
    ],
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220707-071045",
    "type":[
      "adjective",
      "adverb"
    ]
  },
  "vexedness":{
    "type":[
      "noun"
    ],
    "definitions":{
      ": the quality or state of being vexed":[]
    },
    "pronounciation":[
      "-n\u0259\u0307s"
    ],
    "synonyms":[],
    "antonyms":[],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "examples":[],
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "first_known_use":{},
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220708-162755"
  },
  "vexer":{
    "type":[
      "noun"
    ],
    "definitions":{
      ": one that vexes":[]
    },
    "pronounciation":[
      "\u02c8veks\u0259(r)"
    ],
    "synonyms":[],
    "antonyms":[],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "examples":[],
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "first_known_use":{},
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220708-193808"
  },
  "vexillary estivation":{
    "type":[
      "noun"
    ],
    "definitions":{
      ": estivation (as in most pea flowers) in which one large upper petal folds over and covers the other smaller petals":[]
    },
    "pronounciation":[],
    "synonyms":[],
    "antonyms":[],
    "synonym_discussion":"",
    "examples":[],
    "history_and_etymology":{},
    "first_known_use":{},
    "time_of_retrieval":"20220708-233618"
  }
}