Vexing describes something that annoys and worries you at the same time — a problem you keep turning over without solving, a question that will not go anywhere, a situation that nags. A vexing problem, a vexing question, a vexing delay, 'most vexing'.

Vexing describes somethingvexing形容的是某件事， that annoys and worries you at the same time同時讓你又煩又擔心—— a problem you keep turning over without solving一個你一直想卻解決不了的問題， a question that will not go anywhere一個怎麼想都想不通的疑問， a situation that nags一個一直在你心裡揮之不去的處境。 A vexing problem, a vexing question, a vexing delay, 'most vexing'A vexing problem棘手的問題、a vexing question傷腦筋的疑問、a vexing delay惱人的延誤、'most vexing'最讓人頭疼。

Two things to see. First, the mix of feelings: vexing is not simply irritating. Something vexing troubles your mind as well as your mood; it is the kind of difficulty that follows you home. That is why it goes so naturally with problem and question.

Two things to see有兩件事要看。 First, the mix of feelings第一，是情緒的混合： vexing is not simply irritatingvexing不只是單純的irritating（惹惱）。 Something vexing troubles your mind as well as your moodvexing的東西不只擾亂你的心情，也困擾你的思緒； it is the kind of difficulty that follows you home是那種會跟著你回家的難題。 That is why it goes so naturally with problem and question這就是為什麼它跟problem、question搭配起來這麼自然。

Second, its grammar: vexing is both the -ing form of the verb vex ('the noise was vexing him all afternoon') and a full describing word ('a vexing delay'), and the describing use is far more common in modern English. As a describing word it goes in front of a noun most of the time.

Second, its grammar第二，是它的文法： vexing is both the -ing form of the verb vexvexing既是動詞vex的-ing形式 ('the noise was vexing him all afternoon')（「the noise was vexing him all afternoon那噪音整個下午都在煩他」） and a full describing word也是一個完整的形容詞 ('a vexing delay')（「a vexing delay惱人的延誤」）， and the describing use is far more common in modern English而在現代英文裡，形容詞的用法遠比動詞常見。 As a describing word it goes in front of a noun most of the time當形容詞用時，它大多放在名詞前面。

Compared with the rest of this family, vexing is the one that is still comfortably alive. Vex on its own sounds bookish and vexatious sounds legal, but 'a vexing problem' turns up quite normally in newspapers, in business writing, and in careful speech, and no native speaker would blink at it. It stays a step more formal than 'annoying', though — you would say a mosquito is annoying, not vexing, because a mosquito bothers you without giving you anything to think about.

Compared with the rest of this family跟這個字族裡的其他字比起來， vexing is the one that is still comfortably alivevexing是還活得最自在的那一個。 Vex on its own sounds bookish單獨的vex聽起來很書面， and vexatious sounds legalvexatious聽起來像法律用語， but 'a vexing problem' turns up quite normally in newspapers, in business writing, and in careful speech但「a vexing problem」在報紙、商業文件和講究措辭的談話裡都很自然地出現， and no native speaker would blink at it母語人士聽了也不會覺得奇怪。 It stays a step more formal than 'annoying', though不過它還是比annoying正式一點—— you would say a mosquito is annoying, not vexing你會說蚊子annoying，而不會說牠vexing， because a mosquito bothers you without giving you anything to think about因為蚊子只會煩你，不會給你什麼好想的東西。