as in sermonic
marked by or given to preaching moral values
I found the novel's moralizing tone a bit much for beach reading
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in preaching
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of moralizing
Chris Klimek, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Tembe Denton-Hurst, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2026
This is where the sanctimony and the moralizing comes in.
—Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
But the framing of the piece skews moralizing and voyeuristic.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The host, Shaina Shealy, tells a complex, sometimes raw story, resisting easy moralizing about the lives of her subjects.
—Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Unfortunately, the bulk of the requisite moralizing falls mainly to Palmer’s socially conscious Elena, saddled with one too many speeches about making a difference, which puts a damper on the actress’ customary energetic spark.
—Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Most of the roughly 200 episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger have the moralizing flavor of after-school specials, albeit weirdly violent ones.
—Chris Klimek, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
Her moralizing of Vernice’s character, which doesn’t happen in reverse, was fascinating to me.
—Tembe Denton-Hurst, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2026
This is where the sanctimony and the moralizing comes in.
—Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
But the framing of the piece skews moralizing and voyeuristic.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The host, Shaina Shealy, tells a complex, sometimes raw story, resisting easy moralizing about the lives of her subjects.
—Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Unfortunately, the bulk of the requisite moralizing falls mainly to Palmer’s socially conscious Elena, saddled with one too many speeches about making a difference, which puts a damper on the actress’ customary energetic spark.
—Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moralizing
Noun
-
My mother got fed up with my nonstop preaching.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The high court unanimously ruled in the case of Gabriel Olivier, who says his religious and free speech rights were violated when he was arrested for refusing to move his preaching away from a suburban amphitheater.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Should the guy who spends his spare time dodging bullets really be lecturing him on death wishes?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The irony here is that after spending decades lecturing China about the merits of free trade, the US is taking a page out of Beijing’s own state capitalist playbook.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Last year, a YouTube channel called Akhbar Enfejari (Explosive News) began posting a variety of digital content with a political and moralistic bent.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Good intentions — and handsome animation — aside, Forevergreen is ultimately too maudlin and moralistic to rank it much higher than this.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If all that is a little too cerebral, viewers can wait out the pontificating until the next performance comes along.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In a terrifically non-didactic way, Lincoln lets audiences in on the inner workings of governmental warfare.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
-
This might threaten unrelieved angst weighing down a 90-minute drama, or, maybe worse, a didactic, finger-wagging life lesson lecture.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But also as promised, the show was all about joy, optimism and self-belief, and if her monologues occasionally veered into self-care exhortations, that was perfectly on brand as well.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But his stance against the president’s tyranny is a call to action in the same vein as John Paul II’s exhortation to the free world to oppose the Soviet empire.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In calmer times, a leader expounding from such heights risks sounding preachy and self-righteous.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
-
And the story is sweet as well, with a pro-environment message that isn’t too preachy.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Anesa Diangelo is charged with interference with child custody and was taken to the Denton County Jail.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Warsh defended his, and the institution’s, ability to operate outside of political interference.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralizing. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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