INQUISITORIAL Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

inquisitorial

adjective

as in interrogative

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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 inquisitorial Still, the most potent answer to the inquisitorial impulses emanating from Prussian Königsberg came from the French philosopher Benjamin Constant. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Drawing on inquisitorial records, Ginzburg showed how power and resistance are embedded in the same documents, using small-scale cases to illuminate broader tensions between elite and popular culture, and between authority and dissent. — ABC News, 17 June 2026 Universities and research institutions face inquisitorial scrutiny. — Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inquisitorial

Adjective

Hockney’s paintings and drawings, as well as his later photo collages and digital works, invariably had a playful, exploratory, interrogative relationship with perspective, light, scale, framing, rendering—the basic components of picture-making.

— Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.

— Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of interrogative

Adjective

Being asked to keep Nielsen’s proprietary devices in their homes is nothing new for the company’s panel participants, but the push to wear listening wearables could strike some as a bit intrusive.

— Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 19 Aug. 2026
Zeizel, who did not treat Clancy prior to the killings, testified that Clancy's intrusive thoughts eventually became unrelenting.

— Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of intrusive

Adjective

Ambivalent about leaving Wisconsin, Caroline is befriended by the officious Jemma James (Mary Holland), whose husband, Eli (Michael Hough), is a railroad man.

— Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026
The former is heralded with a blast of horns; the latter guards its inner sanctum behind Tobie Windham’s officious sentry.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of officious

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inquisitiveness

inquisitorial

in reality

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“Inquisitorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inquisitorial. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of inquisitorial

adjective

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