What does vexatious mean?
Vexatious describes a person, action, situation, or process that is troublesome because it causes irritation, delay, or frustration. The word is especially common in formal and legal English: a court may describe a lawsuit as vexatious when it appears intended to harass or burden another party rather than pursue a legitimate claim, while “vexatious delays” refers to obstacles that needlessly postpone an action. In everyday use, vexatious behavior may mean habitually annoying, such as persistent interruptions, petty objections, or deliberate obstruction. Although the word can technically apply to anything irritating, it often suggests repeated or calculated inconvenience rather than a single minor irritation. Its Latin root connects it with vexation and vex, but “vexatious” has a stronger, more formal tone than those related terms and conveys deliberate persistence or needless trouble more strongly than ordinary “annoying.”
adjectiveCausing annoyance, irritation, or frustration; characterized by being troublesome or irritating.
- Causing annoyance, irritation, or frustration; troublesome or irritating.
"The committee delayed the project through a series of vexatious objections."
"The tenant filed a vexatious complaint that caused considerable delay."
"His vexatious habit of interrupting made the meeting difficult to manage."
Vexatious has a legal life of its own: courts use the term for lawsuits brought mainly to harass or burden an opponent rather than to resolve a genuine dispute.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How vexatious is actually used
Vexatious is formal and distinctly negative. It is often used in legal and administrative contexts, especially for delaying tactics, repeated complaints, or conduct intended to frustrate another person.
Easily confused with vexatious
Vex is a verb meaning to annoy or irritate, whereas vexatious is an adjective describing something that causes such irritation.