: affected with, marked by, or causing trouble or vexation: such as
a
: feeling or showing irritation, annoyance, or distress
He had a vexed look, as if irritated at having to direct yet another … lost tourist to more celebrated Washington landmarks. Larry L. King
… I plainly perceived him to be extremely vexed at me … Herman Melville
b
: 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. Laurence Bergreen
But the coming months—when America will have to vote for or against China in matters of trade, proliferation and human rights—will severely test the White House's ability to manage a perpetually vexed relationship. Tom Post
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 WebThis class status leaves workers in a vexed relationship with time and money that limits our capacity to choose and have control over our lives. Beth Ashley, refinery29.com, 28 July 2022 Palestinians, who were optimistic that Biden would be a better partner than Trump, have grown increasingly vexed with the U.S. government’s approach to the region. Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022 In the logistics space, quantum computing promises to revolutionize the vexed issue of traffic congestion. Nitin Rakesh, Forbes, 13 June 2022 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. Katie Hunt, CNN, 17 May 2022 On the vexed subject of his sexuality, the journal entries only deepen the mystery. 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. 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’s death.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.Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2022 See More