inquisitor

noun

in·​quis·​i·​tor in-ˈkwi-zə-tər How to pronounce inquisitor (audio)
: one who inquires or makes inquisition
especially : one who is unduly harsh, severe, or hostile in making an inquiry
inquisitorial adjective
inquisitorially adverb

Examples of inquisitor in a Sentence

He had to answer his inquisitors' questions or be thrown out of school.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On this date in: 1633: Catholic Cardinal and chief inquisitor Father Vincenzo Maculani da Firenzuola and the church accused Galileo Galilei of heresy for suggesting Earth is a planet that revolves around the sun, as Nicolaus Copernicus had theorized nearly a century prior. Usa Today, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026 Andrey Mir is a media ecologist who has developed a number of groundbreaking concepts for understanding media, including postjournalism, the Digital Reversal, digital orality, the viral editor/viral inquisitor, and the Digital Rush. Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 Magically compelling another, undoing his will, was contrary to the doctrine of free will held by the Church, so Dientes needed to be corrected by the inquisitors. Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026 Several portraits in medallions high on the walls of the cloisters show decapitated Dominican Friars who worked as inquisitors with just a stump for a neck and their heads held in their hands. ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inquisitor

Word History

First Known Use

1504, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inquisitor was in 1504

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Cite this Entry

“Inquisitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inquisitor. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

inquisitor

noun
in·​quis·​i·​tor in-ˈkwiz-ət-ər How to pronounce inquisitor (audio)
: one who conducts an inquisition
inquisitorial adjective

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