Synonyms of hector

hector 1 of 2

noun

ˈhek-tər 

as in bully

a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons

law penalizing debt collection agencies that operate like hectors

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bully
• enemy
• intimidator
• thug
• abuser
• harasser
• bullyboy
• torturer
• oppressor
• gangster
• rough
• antagonist
• baiter
• tough
• tease
• hooligan
• ridiculer
• ruffian
• heckler
• hoodlum
• rowdy
• mocker
• persecutor
• goon
• harrier
• roughneck
• hood
• taunter
• racketeer
• jiber
• teaser
• needler
• giber
• toughie
• felon
• cutthroat
• punk
• mobster
• gunman
• toughy
• mug

hector

2 of 2

verb

as in to intimidate

to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats

the judge warned the attorney that hectoring the witness with aggressive questioning would not be allowed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intimidate
• bully
• frighten
• browbeat
• coerce
• scare
• bulldoze
• badger
• startle
• cow
• harass
• bogart
• strong-arm
• threaten
• pick on
• bullyrag
• shock
• blackjack
• bluster
• terrify
• compel
• terrorize
• menace
• pressure
• force
• spook
• bludgeon
• hound
• alarm
• horrify
• oblige
• disturb
• perturb
• trash-talk
• constrain
• disconcert
• press
• affright
• alarum
• demoralize
• dragoon
• upset
• unman
• distress
• unnerve
• discompose
• push around
• psych (out)
• disquiet
• make

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassure
• cheer
• encourage
• soothe
• console
• comfort
• steel
• persuade
• convince
• solace
• embolden
• hearten

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hector distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hector are badger, bait, chivy, heckle, and hound. While all these words mean "to harass by efforts to break down," hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

Where would badger be a reasonable alternative to hector?

The synonyms badger and hector are sometimes interchangeable, but badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

When is it sensible to use bait instead of hector?

Although the words bait and hector have much in common, bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

When could chivy be used to replace hector?

While the synonyms chivy and hector are close in meaning, chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

When is heckle a more appropriate choice than hector?

The words heckle and hector can be used in similar contexts, but heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

When would hound be a good substitute for hector?

The words hound and hector are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hector

Noun

THE young woman with the microphone cajoles, hectors and wheedles customers with the breathless enthusiasm of a livestock auctioneer at a county fair. —The Economist, 18 July 2017

Trump’s proposals to match China’s import fees and to hector companies into keeping jobs in the United States represent a huge threat to the mercantilist Asian economic model. —Joel Kotkin, Orange County Register, 2 Apr. 2017

Verb

Vance’s hectoring message to Europe in February on his first trip abroad landed like a lead balloon with American allies. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 18 May 2025

Indeed, last summer, Beijing hectored Cambridge University Press into sanitizing the digital archive of The China Quarterly, an important English-language academic journal, by removing over 300 articles the CCP found objectionable from its Chinese search function. —Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017

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