vexatious

English

WOTD – 25 April 2012

Etymology

a 1650 vexation +‎ -ous

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛkˈseɪʃəs/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -eɪʃəs

Adjective

vexatious (comparative more vexatious, superlative most vexatious)

1. Causing vexation or annoyance; teasing; troublesome.
   • 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 259:

     Although this letter is vexatious, I must not forget that my little entertainment has brought me a visiter in the Marquess of Wentworthdale, on an errand of no small moment, as the Countess of Rotheles may soon learn, to her surprise, for I shall, probably, see him at the Opera to-night.

2. (archaic) Full of trouble or disquiet

   Synonyms: harassed, distressed, annoyed, vexed

   • 1644, Kenelm Digby, Two Treatises, To My Son Kenelm Digby (preface):

     He leads a vexatious life.

3. (law, of an action) Commenced for the purpose of giving trouble, without due cause.

   a vexatious lawsuit

4. (law, of a party or entity) In the habit of starting vexatious litigation and therefore liable to have restraints placed on one's ability to access the courts.

   a vexatious litigant

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:annoying

Derived terms

• vexatiously
• vexatiousness

Related terms

• vex
• vexation

Translations

causing vexation

• Bulgarian: дразнещ (bg) (draznešt)
• Catalan: vexatori
• Dutch: vexatoir
• Finnish: ärsyttävä (fi), harmillinen (fi)
• Greek: ενοχλητικός (el) m (enochlitikós), εξοργιστικός (el) m (exorgistikós)

  Ancient: ἀργαλέος (argaléos)

• Maori: whakatakariri, inonoti
• Middle English: hevysum
• Russian: раздража́ющий (ru) (razdražájuščij)
• Scottish Gaelic: draghail
• Spanish: vejatorio, vejador (es) m

full of trouble or disquiet

• Bulgarian: притеснителен (bg) (pritesnitelen)
• Catalan: vexatori
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無理取鬧 / 无理取闹 (zh) (wúlǐqǔnào)

• Dutch: ergerlijk (nl)
• Finnish: vaikea (fi)
• Greek: ενοχλητικός (el) m (enochlitikós)
• Russian: беспоко́йный (ru) (bespokójnyj)
• Spanish: vejatorio

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “vexatious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “vexatious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.