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
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
Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 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
One senior official who has participated in the calls told us that the intensity and urgency often veer into hectoring.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectoring
Verb
-
His whole body shook, intimidating everyone.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
With the season on the line, the 49ers locked in and defied the intimidating circumstances yet again.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Since their inception, social media companies have implemented protective measures for users such as filtering bullying comments and enabling minors to opt out of seeing personalized ads.—
Gili Malinsky,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The former film titan’s attorneys had argued that the jury at his retrial was beset by infighting, bullying and other improper behavior.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This might take a series of browbeating prompts, but that’s not a big deal.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Horn was ruled out with a concussion in the middle of Stafford’s onslaught of successful passes.—
Mike Kaye
Updated January 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
-
In total, the trail took me around five hours to descend and about seven hours to climb up, with one overnight at Phantom Ranch on the Grand Canyon floor to break up the lactic acid onslaught.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Los Angeles Police Department could not immediately provide details of his arrest, but NBC4 reported that Sutherland allegedly got into an altercation with a ride-hailing driver, and was booked on suspicion of criminal threats.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Arechiga’s mother had also filed a restraining order against her son due to threats, but it was later dropped when no one showed up in court for the follow-up hearing on the request, according to court records.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Travelers not seeking football frenzy should avoid the fall, when hotel and airfare prices skyrocket and crowds are large.—
Sarah Cahalan,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
-
January was set to host a free-agent frenzy, with most league veterans aligning their contracts to expire in advance of the new CBA.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Soon afterward, the White House encouraged a revolt by senior Venezuelan military leaders and other government officials—a hapless, underplanned effort that quickly fell apart.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The society’s equilibrium has been profoundly disrupted and can easily tip into escalating popular revolts and open elite resistance, producing a revolution.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These are among the many questions posed by Simon Morrison’s sprawling biography of place, which seeks to understand a nation through the life of its largest city, tracing Moscow’s evolution via dozens of historical upheavals, from war, famine, drought, and much, much more.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
It’s been a big year of upheaval for Allen, who split from ex David Harbour in February, per People.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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