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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
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
-
Lemon entered a not guilty plea in February, per The New York Times, after facing charges of conspiracy against religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Elected officials say an Orland Park resident recently charged with threatening and intimidating them was behind campaigns of robocalls and other communications that targeted them and their families.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Los Angeles detectives arrested a juvenile in an alleged school bullying incident that left a 12-year-old girl dead after she was struck in the head with a metal water bottle.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
James Baldwin's insight emphasizes the necessity of confronting issues like prejudice and bullying, which require ongoing leadership action; in a video lesson, Kim Scott offers practical strategies to foster respectful team culture and effectively address harmful behaviors.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
This might take a series of browbeating prompts, but that’s not a big deal.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Their bulldozing run up through non-League and the EFL deserves respect, but they’re not held together by a rubber band.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers who were deployed to the region of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s onslaught.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Mair and Riley Nelson continued the offensive onslaught in the second quarter as the Blue Devils took a 39-31 lead into the half.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When the soil is warm and dry and the last threat of frost has passed, focus on pruning, prepping and feeding your plants.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The organization's latest concern is AI in the classroom, which Moms for Liberty sees as a threat to parental control over education.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The housing market has cooled considerably since earlier this decade, when rock-bottom mortgage rates set off a frenzy that sent home prices soaring.—
Alex Veiga,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
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One of the unspoken truths about the Tortuga Music Festival is that while its country-music firepower is undeniable, some of its best moments have come in the frenzy of fans who pack stages for party-rap performers such as Flo Rida, Nelly, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg and Ludacris.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As a history of the Arab revolt, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is sometimes lacking in accuracy; as an intimate memoir, however, the text is a classic.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
After enduring a series of mini-revolts from fans criticizing last spring’s casting announcement and December’s first-look trailer, Survivor 50 has gotten off to an encouraging start.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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