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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as in browbeating
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Recent Examples of hectoring
Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
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There’s calm aura (Jayden Daniels), confident aura (Joe Burrow) and intimidating aura (Maxx Crosby).—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Romero added that the calls were particularly intimidating at this raw time of heightened political tension and rhetoric.—
Sasha Pezenik,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Wake County schools violated policy when staff did not address the effects of bullying on Danielle, said an April 2024 letter from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.—
Fred Clasen-Kelly,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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The complaint also alleged that school officials failed in their response to the plaintiff’s complaints and that coaches were aware of the threats of bullying during the camp but did not take meaningful action.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Mad Men would be named Best Drama for a third straight year and Temple Grandin commenced what turned out to be a seemingly endless onslaught at every applicable awards show, as the TV-movie tied an Emmy record with five major wins.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Poland was not alone in defending its citizens from the Russian onslaught meant for Ukraine.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Pressing global issues, including Russia and Ukraine, Russia's threat to NATO's Eastern flank and the war in Gaza will surely be a main topic for the leaders.—
Michelle Stoddart,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The ozone layer's healing demonstrates that entire nations can coordinate to address planetary threats.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement Buyback frenzy — But plenty of companies are profiting like crazy off the AI boom—so why has Ellison profited so uniquely enormously?—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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While earlier incidents against Jewish sites, coming amid the backlash over the soaring death toll in Israel’s conflict in Gaza, sparked a media frenzy around this particularly act of brazen antisemitism, the pigs’ heads did not have the same effect.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Cracker Barrel was in the early stages of a major turnaround plan before its new logo and restaurant remodels ran into a right-wing revolt.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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The British eventually adopted harsh measures to end the revolt.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At some point, everyone faces upheaval; a layoff, a health scare, a collapsing industry, or simply the gnawing sense that the old way isn’t working anymore.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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This event triggered a massive upheaval in the global financial markets and signaled the intensification of the 2008 financial crisis.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The racially motivated attack, carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan, intensified national outrage and was a catalyst for major civil rights advancements.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The company also cut coverage in many vulnerable parts of the state, sparking outrage when homeowners who had just faced a nonrenewal were then hit by the January wildfires around Los Angeles County.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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