henpecking

verb

present participle of henpeck
as in nagging
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 henpecking
  1. nagging
  2. hounding
  3. begging
  4. dogging
  5. urging
  6. needling
  7. bothering
  8. badgering
Verb
  • His advice for a session is to chase whatever task is nagging at you, but resist the temptation to sneak in actual work.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
  • His one rule for guests is to chase whatever task is nagging at them, but to resist sneaking in actual work.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026
Definition of nagging
Verb
  • Speaking about the tumultuous relationship on a 2024 episode of SiriusXM's This Life of Mine with James Corden, Miller reflected on the boiling point between the scandalous affair and the chaos of the paparazzi and tabloids hounding them.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026
  • Members of the media followed the family constantly, hounding them for quotes.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2026
Definition of hounding
Verb
  • After migrating from Seoul to Montana as a young child, Suea first fell in love with fashion as a teenager growing up in New Jersey, begging her parents to take her to the mall to visit the Abercrombie & Fitch store after church on Sundays.
    — Violet Conroy, Vogue, 15 July 2026
  • Suddenly, the same kids who had been teasing me were instead begging for the next chapter.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of begging
Verb
  • There is a new solution to a problem that's been dogging the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.
    — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • Stuck with no way out, and the Hexts’ head of security Jon (Lee Jae-yoon) dogging her steps, Cola hid the drive in an empty vodka bottle before she was forced down to the engine room to be held captive.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of dogging
Verb
  • Hearings on the issue took place in Washington last week, with some industry associations urging the administration to refrain from imposing new duties.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 13 July 2026
  • Industry groups have instead tried to direct the administration to the carrot rather than the stick, urging the president to consider an incentive instead.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 July 2026
Definition of urging
Verb
  • Lestat wants Molloy to tell his side of the story, but Lestat also can’t bear to open up, spending more time needling Molloy than actually engaging with his questions.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026
  • But as the November election draws closer and Republicans are trying to defend their majorities, Trump is instead needling Congress with his demands and reversals, driving several Republican senators to disparage his actions publicly for the first time.
    — Mary Clare Jalonick, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Definition of needling
Verb
  • Travis was snapped having a blast bothering Jason as the duo attended a match between Jupiter Links GC and The Bay Golf Club at SoFi Center on March 3.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • For now, the Royals hope to figure out exactly what’s bothering him.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • Unlike during Warsh’s first stint at the Fed, the current president has been badgering the central bank for rate cuts.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 May 2026
  • The coding craze spread quickly, from parents badgering their kids to drop the English major and opt for a STEM degree—and former President Barack Obama even urged people to learn to code.
    — Jake Angelo, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of badgering
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

henpecked
henpecking
henpecks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Henpecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/henpecking. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on henpecking

Nglish: Translation of henpecking 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

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?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All