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The cause of trouble or disquiet; affliction. Your children were vexation to your youth. Shak.

Causing vexation; agitating; afflictive; annoying; as, a vexatious controversy; a vexatious neighbor. "Continual vexatious wars." South.

Inflicting punishment; avenging; punitory. The afflictions of Job were no vindicatory punishments to take vengeance of his sins. Abp. Bramhall.

ctory in any contest. -- To walk through the fire (Script.), to be exercised with severe afflictions. Isa. xliii. 2. -- To walk with God (Script.), to live in obedience to his commands, and have communion with him.

Rigorous; severe; afflictive. [R.] "Attend our weightier judgment." Shak.

Full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity; afflicted; wretched; unhappy; sad. How many woeful widows left to bow To sad disgrace! Daniel.

An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one's mind with remorse. The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul! Shak.

Very miserable; sunk in, or accompanied by, deep affliction or distress, as from want, anxiety, or grief; calamitous; woeful; very afflicting. "To what wretched state reserved!" Milton. O cruel! Death! to those you are more kind Than to the wretched mortals left behind. Waller. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore…

To subject to extortion; to afflict, or oppress, in order to enforce compliance. To wring the widow from her 'customed right. Shak. The merchant adventures have been often wronged and wringed to the quick. Hayward.