as in browbeating
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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
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
This is subtle character work that, as described on the page, might seem hectoring or prescriptive.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectoring
Verb
-
Indeed, one of General George Washington’s greatest achievements was to avoid being cornered and forced to capitulate to these intimidating legions in the war’s early years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Tips for Making Coconut Cake Layer cakes can be intimidating for hobby bakers.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Sam Smith is getting real about childhood bullying.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
This creates major risks for bullying and harassment.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This might take a series of browbeating prompts, but that’s not a big deal.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Celtics, well aware of Orlando’s identity as a hyper-physical team that annually ranks near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point volume, weren’t prepared for that onslaught.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Sophomore Flory Bidunga led the onslaught with 23 points while grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots in 25 minutes, with freshman Darryn Peterson dropping 21 points in his collegiate debut.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Unfortunately, Packers quarterback Jordan Love will go into the game without one of his top receiving threats, who came into the game with a questionable tag.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Every team is a threat in the league.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
That cut New York’s lead to 2-1 and sent the Charlotte crowd into a frenzy, hoping for a tying score in the game’s final minutes.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Turns out, the frenzy was all over a bear (and sometimes, a cat).—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Critiques from the American right, which lament the film’s timely depictions of a police state, immigrant internment camps and leftist revolt, read like ChatGPT essays programmed to write in the voice of Karen.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The film, which is Palestine’s entry for the Best International Feature category of the Oscars, tells the story of the Arab revolt against British colonial rule in Palestine in the 1930s.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
After three years of upheaval — capped by last year’s unpopular relocation to Las Vegas — the 2025 AFM marks the event’s return to Los Angeles, with a new (and hopefully permanent) home at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City.—
Kevin Cassidy,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
-
These upheavals have always caused tensions, and those tensions have shaped the American social order in many ways.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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