student asking question

What is the difference between "irritate" and "vex"? I looked up in the dictionary but I still don't get the nuance of those two.

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Good question. The term "irritate" is quite a mild phrase, and is something you find annoying but can handle without a lot of trouble. Whereas the phrase "vex" means that while you are very upset about whatever it is that's "vexing". While this is the small distinction in the literal meaning of these words, the most important difference is that "vex" is a formal, literary word, whereas "irritate" is easily used in very formal English or very informal English. This distinction is important; whereas you wouldn’t likely find the word "vex" in ordinary everyday conversation, "irritate" might be used in any context. Ex: The sound of mosquitoes is really annoying. (Tiếng muỗi bay thật sự rất khó chịu.) Ex: I've been extremely vexed by my boss. (Tôi bị sếp làm cho tức chết mất.)

Complete the expression with a quiz!