moralizing 1 of 3

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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moralizing

2 of 3

noun

moralizing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of moralize

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 moralizing
Adjective
Eliot departs here from the moralizing messages of Memling and La Tour. Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026 Together with his lover Madame de Staël and their circle, Constant arrived at the idea—not in direct response to the Königsberg scandal but in response to the moralizing public absolutism of the age—that liberty required privacy to flourish. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 This is a radical concept in today’s mental health culture, shaped by social media’s moralizing and rampant shaming. Josh Penn Soskin, Variety, 16 July 2026 Trey Parker and Matt Stone created a show directly informed by millennials and Gen Xers growing up in a culture of gun violence, fear, moralizing, bigotry, war and division. Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026 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
Easy moralizing would be wrong, but moral indifference might be impossible. David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026 Critically, the moralizing over climate change is gone. Justin Worland, Time, 22 May 2026 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 Set in London in 1749, the story discourages easy moralizing about guilt and justice. Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moralizing
Adjective
  • Navy excels at untangling human emotions and picking through them without being didactic or moralistic.
    Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • Falwell’s preaching struck me as the antithesis of those values.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Worship centers on prayer, the reading and preaching of scripture, congregational singing, and the celebration of the Eucharist.
    Stephanie TriplettAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Especially for him in the same interview to be lecturing my party on democracy and norms.
    NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Before long, at the height of France’s own student protests, in 1968, Ascherson was lecturing at the Sorbonne on post-Stalinist revolutionary ideas and tactics.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Still, an air of artificiality and sometimes theatricality does pervade his talky, often didactic scenes, which actually plays to the benefit of the performances — especially from Huston.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The work blends seamlessly with Chef Paz's interior design and bears no didactic information or price tag, so it's rarely sold.
    Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 21 Aug. 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
  • His tenderness and vulnerability sets the tone of the show, which takes men’s emotions seriouslywithout lapsing into either the preachy hugging and learning of Ted Lasso or the manipulative melodramatics of, say, A Million Little Pieces.
    Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • After a promising start as one of ESPN's true rising stars, Ogwumike has grown increasingly preachy and uninformed.
    Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • His character is a severe, hectoring figure; his lessons amount to an exhortation to be as mean as possible when money is concerned.
    Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The faith leader’s exhortation shows the depth of the divide in the Moskowitz-Larkin contest.
    Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Our newsroom conversations revealed an instructive generational divide.
    Kurt Shillinger, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Summaries of their sins and absurdities have now filled several books, but a sampler is instructive.
    Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Moralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralizing. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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