beseeching 1 of 3

adjective

bi-ˈsē-chiŋ How to pronounce beseeching (audio)
Definition of beseechingnext
as in prayerful
asking humbly a beseeching letter from his parents asking him to bring the grandchildren for a long overdue visit

Synonyms & Similar Words

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beseeching

2 of 3

noun

as in pleading

Related Words

beseeching

3 of 3

verb

present participle of beseech
as in begging
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner parishioners ardently beseeched the local bishop not to close their beloved church

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of beseeching
Adjective
This case has seen lot of what amounts to table-pounding by the defense, with a constant rat-a-tat-tat of motions, demands for discovery, followed by more beseeching requests. — Howard Blum, Washington Post, 26 June 2024 The same beseeching gaze gets complicated by a character like Dre—at once naïve and ruthless, in control yet entirely lost. — Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023
Noun
Prayer is a basic practice of almost all religions, and what is prayer if not a beseeching of a synchronicity from God? — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Some Cypress Village residents are beseeching the city to keep it that way, even as the HOA applies to let the pickle balling resume. — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beseeching
  1. prayerful
  2. pleading
  3. begging
  4. petition
  5. petitioning
  6. entreaty
  7. supplication
  8. imploring
Adjective
  • Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo performed a prayerful ceremony traditional before a hunt.
    — Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
  • That’s the prayerful explanation for the nonsense that spouted this week from the leaders of a football conference that hopes to grow up and be the Big Ten someday.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Definition of prayerful
Noun
  • But my point is that, right up front, these messages telegraph insecurity, pleading, chagrin.
    — Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
  • In the picture, James sports a Cavs jersey from his playing days near his hometown alongside the pleading caption.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of pleading
Verb
  • After migrating from Seoul to Montana as a young child, Suea first fell in love with fashion as a teenager growing up in New Jersey, begging her parents to take her to the mall to visit the Abercrombie & Fitch store after church on Sundays.
    — Violet Conroy, Vogue, 15 July 2026
  • Suddenly, the same kids who had been teasing me were instead begging for the next chapter.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of begging
Noun
  • The vote came to 5-2, in the petition’s favor, with McMullen himself and member Kaety Bowers voting no.
    — Zuri Primos July 15, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
  • Nearly 900 people signed a petition against the rezoning in recent months.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026
Definition of petition
Verb
  • Considering this, state workers’ best bet for improved remote work conditions may be petitioning their next boss — after Newsom leaves office in January — to take a different approach towards telework.
    — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • However, there's already a group petitioning against the idea of the mall becoming an industrial park.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 23 June 2026
Definition of petitioning
Noun
  • These are the people who will likely be most amenable to negotiations or personal entreaties.
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 17 June 2026
  • Rajoub refused the entreaty, much to the frustration and embarrassment of Infantino.
    — Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 10 June 2026
Definition of entreaty
Noun
  • Given the dramatic manner in which the hulking piers marched down the center of the institution’s narrow corridor, flanked by the photographer’s three-inch-square Polaroids, hung as if in awed supplication, the effect verged on hyperbole, the gnomic ceding to the grandiose.
    — James Quandt, Artforum, 2 June 2026
  • Like the appeals made by women during the antiquity to midwife goddesses, prayer and supplication were ways to affirm intentions for healthy pregnancies, calm labors, and living children.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of supplication
Noun
  • But Old Trafford’s direct imploring of him to stay beyond the end of the current season should leave them in no doubt.
    — Mark Critchley, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of imploring

Browse Nearby Words

beseeches
beseeching
beseem
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Cite this Entry

“Beseeching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beseeching. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on beseeching

Nglish: Translation of beseeching for Spanish Speakers

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