1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

hectoring 1 of 2

noun

as in browbeating

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

hectoring

2 of 2

verb

present participle of hector
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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hectoring
Noun
Greengrass’s attempts to wrap a political statement up in Bourne clothing is awkward and jarring, and the movie is more preachy and hectoring than particularly enlightening. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026 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
His character is a severe, hectoring figure; his lessons amount to an exhortation to be as mean as possible when money is concerned. — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026 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
  1. bullying
  2. intimidating
  3. bulldozing
  4. browbeating
  5. onslaught
  6. threat
  7. frenzy
  8. revolt
Noun
  • Like many Canadian decision-makers, Austin says the local industry needs more stability in the face of multiple challenges happening simultaneously, from American streaming dominance to Trump bullying.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • In a statement on its Facebook page, Wright State University did not directly address the bullying allegations, but said counseling and support services had been made available to students, faculty and staff.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of bullying
Verb
  • In 2022, the court convicted two leaders of a Kosovo war veterans’ association for intimidating witnesses by publicizing leaked confidential documents.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Critics say Mullin’s policy is aimed at intimidating voters, will upend longstanding American norms, and violate a law keeping armed forces out of polling places that dates back to the end of the Civil War.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Noun
  • The demands to stop the bulldozing and construction of areas in the Big Bend region of Texas are continuing, despite a pause in the work.
    — Ken Molestina, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of bulldozing
Verb
  • Repent and repair Rather than browbeating people into repentance, the Ne’ilah service’s strategy is to boost them up into it, playing upon the biblical idea of the grandeur of humanity.
    — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of browbeating
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Houthi rebels in Yemen, also supported by Tehran, have increased their onslaught against southern targets, seizing strategic islands in the Bab el-Mandeb waterway.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The onslaught effectively forced the container shipping industry to avoid the Suez Canal altogether, with ocean carriers instead opting to sail a longer route around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of onslaught
Noun
  • This isn’t really about an existential threat coming for the status quo of professional golf anymore.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Still, the threats have increased for the islands of Niihau and Kauai because the storm's forecast track has shifted steadily eastward, the National Hurricane Center said.
    — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of threat
Noun
  • Mid-decade redistricting frenzy Vance suggested that Republican state lawmakers have every right to dilute the voting power of left-leaning Kansas City amid a bitter partisan fight for control of Congress.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In 2023, the pair famously sent the internet into a frenzy when Swift appeared at a Chiefs game amid speculation that the two were dating.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of frenzy
Noun
  • The tax revolt was a successful attempt by a small group of ideologues to capitalize on people’s justifiable anger at the cost-of-living crisis that followed the war in Vietnam, along with California’s runaway home prices.
    — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Corbet issued a statement defending the AI use cases amid swelling online revolt.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of revolt

Browse Nearby Words

hectored
hectoring
hectors
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All