as in browbeating
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Dissimilar Words
as in intimidating
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of hectoring
Greg Evans, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Sure, there's the hectoring of Federal Reserve officials, Chairman Jerome Powell and Governor Lisa Cook, and the attempt by the president to make the central bank another appendage of the White House.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026
Perhaps more meaningfully, the message is the antithesis of a contrived political pitch or a hectoring sermon.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Dealing with the hectoring racket of New York fans may well have prepared him to withstand the noise of the Super Bowl.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
Imagine if Clooney had chosen to use his star power to spotlight a genuinely worthy project — the way, say, Sarah Paulson did with Appropriate or Keanu Reeves is doing with Waiting For Godot — rather than the stuffy, moribund, on-the-nose hectoring that was Good Night, and Good Luck?
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Sure, there's the hectoring of Federal Reserve officials, Chairman Jerome Powell and Governor Lisa Cook, and the attempt by the president to make the central bank another appendage of the White House.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
Pratt was just another angry New Yorker hectoring calumnies against all forms of authority.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026
Perhaps more meaningfully, the message is the antithesis of a contrived political pitch or a hectoring sermon.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Dealing with the hectoring racket of New York fans may well have prepared him to withstand the noise of the Super Bowl.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectoring
Verb
-
Without a baseline of knowledge, climate tech can feel abstract or intimidating.—
Cyril PETIT,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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These barriers are especially intimidating when brands are looking to expand internationally — operational missteps can often lead to growth stagnation.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
That was due to the fact that the majority of the house never put up an ounce of resistance, leading to a long, boring slog of a season that was only interrupted by bouts of bullying and cringe-worthy comments poking fun at rape, race, and the trans community.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
Board member Melanie Freeman requested a discussion about bathroom policies generally, citing concerns about vaping, bullying and student supervision in school bathrooms.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
His process of doing so involved disparaging his accusers, browbeating people and institutions that no longer wanted to be associated with him, and refusing to accept a path that precluded a return to being a public figure.—
Elizabeth Spiers,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Analysts have suggested a vote from Waller in favor of interest rate cuts, aligning with the president’s browbeating demands for lower borrowing costs—could be seen as a bellwether for his candidacy.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Outside, the ceaseless roar of jackhammering and bulldozing went on as the ballroom, challenged by lawsuits and protected by that titanium fencing, took shape.—
Matt Viser,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
-
After Douglas, Miami picked up a 6-5 1/2, 261-pound bulldozing blocking tight end in Kacmarek, who can be an asset in paving holes in the run game.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An onslaught of drones and missiles poured onto Ukraine on Tuesday, killing nearly two dozen and injuring over 100 more.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2026
-
The onslaught began with three consecutive singles by Kyle Karros, Edouard Julien, and Jake McCarthy, and then came to homers by Castro and Rumfield.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Walter Urbon then flew out to right to end the threat.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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At its height nearly 20 years ago, India’s leader described the Maoists as the country’s biggest internal security threat, a blight on its status as the world’s largest democracy and its aspirations of becoming a global power.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Vargas made the most of his opportunity in the bottom of the 10th, sending the large crowd into a frenzy with his first career walk-off home run.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
At its height, the company raised over a billion, going public through a SPAC merger during the 2021 frenzy.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Many leaders would have resisted such a revolt.—
Bill Fischer,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
There were more than 50 days of popular revolt, which were met with considerable police violence, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.—
Roberto Andrés,
The Dial,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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