henpecked

verb

past tense of henpeck
as in nagged
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders my doctor henpecked me into adopting a healthier lifestyle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for henpecked
  1. nagged
  2. hounded
  3. urged
  4. dogged
  5. begged
  6. bothered
  7. needled
  8. annoyed
Verb
  • The former top-50 national broke out with 111 yards in the Gators’ upset of Texas last year but has been nagged by foot injuries.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • The question nagged at me for months; no single explanation—psychological, political, or otherwise—felt completely satisfying.
    — Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Definition of nagged
Verb
  • There were also social-media groups that hounded commissioners and sought to sink the hunt.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
  • Several of those who hounded Miller for payouts have formed new leagues to play together during this upcoming season.
    — Alex Andrejev, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of hounded
Verb
  • Lawmakers and advocates urged assemblymembers Monday to pass a bill that would formalize data collection for frontotemporal degeneration.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • As International Allyship Day approaches, organizations are urged to embed inclusion as a continuous cultural heartbeat, moving beyond performative gestures.
    — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of urged
Verb
  • The festival has been relatively untouched by the kind of political controversy which dogged the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.
    — John Bleasdale, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026
  • But controversies tied to the people around him — most recently antisemitic and white nationalist social media posts by his son-in-law — have dogged him throughout his campaign.
    — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of dogged
Verb
  • Still, Harbaugh was encouraged that at the end of Thursday’s marathon practice, his players actually begged him for one extra play in the red zone.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Trump voiced frustration at Iran’s public posturing, suggesting the country’s leaders begged for the discussions, despite their claims of only wanting to deal with Oman.
    — Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of begged
Verb
  • That bothered Duncan, because direct attack can be dangerous in extreme fire conditions.
    — Murphy Woodhouse, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Brown was asked Thursday what bothered him about the process.
    — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • Drummer Jay Russell kept to stark rattles, Sam Shipstone patched in his scratchy electric guitar, and Ryan Needham needled through grumbling basslines.
    — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
  • By contrast, Trump is being needled almost weekly by Tillis and other GOP senators whose chattiness with the press has drawn the ire of the president.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Definition of needled
Verb
  • During his last visit to Tehran in 2012, Aryan Diba enjoyed the sweeping hospitality of the city, but was annoyed when he and a group of friends were disrupted by local authorities while talking to a group of women at a local fast food joint.
    — Colin Wrenn, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The Australian miner with closest ties to China, Forrest was annoyed by CMRG’s attack, calling on the commodity buying cartel to ‘negotiate fairly’.
    — Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoyed
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.

Browse Nearby Words

henpeck
henpecked
henpecking
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Henpecked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/henpecked. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on henpecked

Nglish: Translation of henpecked for Spanish Speakers

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

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All