vexatiouslyadv.

1610 T. Morton Encounter against M. Parsons ii. ix. 119 The matter was so vexatiously caried on M. C. his part, as that he was taxed to pay 300. pounds costs.

1654 M. Blaithwaite Complaint 4 My Adversaries..arrested me and my Husband many times upon Writs of priviledge vexatiously, and never declared against us.

1681 Late Famous Tryal Mr. Hickeringill 4 For vexatiously bringing and maintaining several Actions at Law, against John Bridg, and one James Sidey.

1715 J. Gardiner Pract. Expos. Latter Pt. Serm. on Mount vi. 128 Submitting to the Loss of our Cause, if it be given against us, without vexatiously carrying the Suit from Court to Court.

1765 J. T. Atkyns Rep. Cases Chancery 1 xv. 218 I know of no instance where this court have superseded a commission, without directing an issue, unless it appears very plainly to be taken out fraudulently or vexatiously.

1829 Let. 7 Nov. in J. Crawfurd Lett. Brit. Settlers Interior of India (1831) vi. 25 Honest people,..if they do not fee the police people, are sure to be vexatiously taken away from their homes and businesses, detained and annoyed under various pretexts.

1880 J. Muirhead tr. Gaius Institutes iv. 350 The praetor allows an oath to be exacted from him ‘that he is not vexatiously denying his liability’.

1930 Greeley (Colorado) Daily Tribune 27 Jan. 5/3 The record discloses that this suit was vexatiously instituted and prosecuted.

1989 Guardian 2 Nov. If a plaintiff has willfully and vexatiously wasted the court's time and if the solicitor encouraged or did not stop that, I would expect the court to make comment on the solicitor's behaviour.

2014 Herald Sun (Austral.) (Nexis) 14 Oct. 10 The equivalent of a conclusion that the proceeding was vexatiously instituted.

1642 E. Symmons Foure Serm. iv. 164 It is a meeke and a milde spirit, rather quietly passive, then vexatiously active in dealing with opponents.

1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie ii. Pref. 140 Thy soul is vexatiously perturbated.

1709 J. Swift & J. Addison Tatler No. 43 The rugged Cares and Disturbance that Publick Affairs brings with it, which does so vexatiously affect the Heads of other great Men.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. ix. 227 We were most strangely and vexatiously disappointed, by finding that the light..was only a fire on the shore.

1788 F. Burney Diary 1 Aug. (1842) IV. 213 Very vexatiously, however, my message arrived..late.

1847 S. Austin tr. L. von Ranke Hist. Reformation in Germany (ed. 2) III. 531 At the same time difficulties were vexatiously thrown in the way of the protestant procurator.

1879 S. C. Bartlett Egypt to Palestine xi. 242 We paused here and interrogated our Arabs, but, vexatiously enough, we could extract from them no such tradition.

1904 Times 24 Dec. 8/6 All public schoolmasters, whose curriculum is sometimes vexatiously interfered with in order to provide for the special coaching of boys.

1995 Atlantic July 92/1 The vexatiously persistent problems of our own, post-Second World War era.

2007 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 25 May a14 MPs, finding the room vexatiously warm, abdicated their core responsibility.