vexation
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vexation
- /vɛkˈseɪʃn̩/ UK
- /vɛkˈseɪʃən/ US
Rhymes with -eɪʃən
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English vexacioun, vexation (“physical suffering; act of inflicting trouble (specifically through unjustified legal action); anxiety, mental distress; mental disturbance”), from Anglo-Norman vexacion, vexation, Middle French vexacion, vexation (“distress, suffering; harassment (specifically through unjustified legal action)”), and Old French vexacion, vexation (“distress, suffering; harassment”) (modern French vexation), and from their etymon Latin vexātiō (“shaking or similar violent movement; (causing of) agitation, distress, suffering; harassment, persecution; trouble”), from vexātus + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs). Vexātus is the perfect passive participle of vexō (“to shake or jolt violently; to annoy, harass; to persecute; to trouble violently”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. By surface analysis, vex + -ation (suffix denoting an action or process or its result, or a quality or state). Doublet of quake.
noun vexations
- The action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; (countable) an instance of this. […] I mourne in my prayer, and make a noiſe, / For the voyce of the enemie, & for the vexation of the vvicked, becauſe they haue broght iniquitie vpon me, & furiouſly hate me.
- The action of physically annoying or irritating a person or an animal; (countable) an instance of this; also, a physical discomfort or disorder. And, gentle Puck, take this transformed ſcalpe, / From the heade of this Athenian ſvvaine [Nick Bottom]; / That hee, avvaking vvhen the other do, / May all to Athens backe againe repaire, / And thinke no more of this nights accidents, / But as the fearce vexation of a dreame.
- The action of vexing or annoying someone by bringing unjustified legal proceedings against them; (countable) an instance of this.
- The state of being vexed, annoyed, or irritated; annoyance, irritation; also, disappointment, discontentment, unhappiness; (countable) an instance of this. "Indeed you perplex me intolerably;" cried Cecilia, vvith ſome vexation, "VVhy, Sir, vvill you not be more explicit?"
- The state of being mentally distressed or troubled. Thus I haue conſidered all the thinges that come to paſſe vnder the Sõne, ⁊ lo, they are all but vanitie ⁊ vexacion of mynde.
- The state of being physically annoyed or irritated.
-
A source of mental distress or trouble; an affliction, a woe; also, a source of annoyance or irritation; an annoyance, an irritant.
[S]hould ſhe thus be ſtolne avvay from you, / It vvould be much vexation to your age.
Similar: affliction, aggrievance, distress, grief, grievance, hardship, misery, ruth, sadness, sorrow, undelight, vexation
- The action of using force or violence on someone or something; (countable) an instance of this. 'Tis Princely, vvhen a Tyranne doth oppoſe; / And is a fortune ſent to exerciſe / Your vertue, as the vvind doth try ſtrong trees: / VVho by vexation grovv more ſound, and firme.
Translations
Every language
noun action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; an instance of this
| Español | vejación, vejamen |
|---|---|
| Português | vexação |
| Français | tracas, tracasserie |
| Deutsch | Ärger, Ärgernis, Belästigung, Beunruhigung, Irritation, Plage |
| Italiano | vessazione |
| Română | vexațiune, vexare |
noun state of being vexed, annoyed, or irritated; an instance of this — see also annoyance, irritation
| Español | vejación |
|---|---|
| Português | vexação |
| Français | contrariété |
| Deutsch | Ärger, Beunruhigung, Irritation, Qual, Verdruss |
| Русский | раздражение razdraženije |
Talk about this word "vexation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vexation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. vexation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vexation "vexation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vexation.Cite this
@misc{vexation_2026,
title = {vexation},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vexation},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
