vex
part of speech
verb (vex, vexes, vexed, vexing)
meaning for a pupil
1) To annoy, worry or upset someone, especially about small things. tree →
2) (formal) To puzzle someone; a "vexed question" is one that is hard to answer and that people argue about. tree →
sense in the lessons
It is an old-fashioned or written word; in everyday speech people say "annoy" or "bother". You find it in classic stories, the Bible and poems. "Vexed" means annoyed; "vexing" means annoying. "A vexed question" is a hard, much-argued problem. Phrases: "vexed with someone", "a vexed question", "a vexing problem".
examples
- The noisy neighbours vexed my grandad. tree →
- She was vexed that her brother had eaten the last biscuit. tree →
- The missing piece of the puzzle vexed us all afternoon. tree →
- Do not vex your mother by being late. tree →
- Climate change is a vexed question that people argue about. tree →
- It was a vexing problem, but we solved it in the end. tree →
- The king was vexed when his orders were ignored. tree →
- "Well, I'm sorry if I've vexed you," said Lionel. tree →
note
Regular verb: vex, vexes, vexed. The -es ending is because it ends in x. It is an older, more formal word: in a story it often shows the character is cross. "Vexed" is not as strong as "furious".
In the corpora
- And her rival vexed her sore, to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
- How long will ye vex my soul, and crush me with words?
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «vex» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.