HECTORING Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

hectoring 1 of 2

noun

as in browbeating

Related Words

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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

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

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

Noun

Sometimes, victims are told that bullying is a misunderstanding, and the bully should be forgiven.

— Julieta Camarillo Diaz, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Yet research consistently links heavy smartphone and social media use among children and adolescents to poor sleep, anxiety and depression, bullying, attention difficulties and academic challenges.

— Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026

Definition of bullying

Verb

The young boy’s biggest concern is staying out of the crosshairs of Calavera (Mauro Guzmán), the neighborhood bully who seems destined to follow the same path as his intimidating older brother, Felix (Cosmo Gonzalez).

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 July 2026
Sangha said that gangsters intimidating immigrants in the Central Valley is far more prevalent than reported.

— Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of intimidating

Noun

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
After Douglas, Miami picked up a 6-5 1/2, 261-pound bulldozing blocking tight end in Kacmarek, who can be an asset in paving holes in the run game.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Definition of bulldozing

Verb

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
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

Definition of browbeating

Noun

In Texas, ranchers are bracing for an onslaught of screwworms, the flesh-eating maggots of blowflies.

— Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Torres lamented that the nation’s landmark semiquincentennial comes amid a fever pitch of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, marked by a rise in xenophobia and an onslaught of attempts to restrict newcomers here and abroad.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

Definition of onslaught

Noun

But the threat of a partial collapse Tuesday by one such conversion in progress highlighted the significant challenges of those construction projects.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Mike Bland told The Times the officer’s name has not been released because of an investigation into threats against him.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of threat

Noun

Fourteen minutes into the game, midfielder Jhon Arias drove a cross from winger Luis Suarez into the right corner of the net to give Colombia a 1-0 lead and send Pais MX into a frenzy.

— Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
As the first week of the knockout rounds comes to a close, the soccer frenzy is translating into a short-term rental boom, with locals cashing in by renting out their homes.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 July 2026

Definition of frenzy

Noun

The people ended up burning down the house of one of the tax collectors, prompting President George Washington to raise the first federal army against them and quickly quell the revolt.

— Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 July 2026
At once pugnaciously combative and unreservedly sentimental, Landon chose to take the series out with a commentary on class revolt.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026

Definition of revolt

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Style

“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of hectoring

noun

verb

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