Vexingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that elicits irritation or distress for others
2. Conducted in a manner that provokes annoyance or displeasure in individuals
3. In a manner that provokes frustration or distress in someone

Etymology: Vexingly is a plain formation: the adjective "vexing" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb. The adjective itself comes from "vex", which traces back through Latin "vexare", meaning to shake, harass or agitate, and the adverb carries the same sense of troubling or irritating someone into an adverbial form. The suffix has a longer story than the word it sits on. "-ly" descends from Old English "-līce", itself rooted in a Proto-Germanic element that meant something like "body" or "form", so that "-like" and "-ly" are the same ending worn down over a thousand years. Attaching it to a participle such as "vexing" produces the sense "in a manner that is vexing", which is how the adverb reads today.

Synonyms: annoyingly, irritatingly

Antonyms: pleasantly, comfortably