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
Relevance
as in preaching
Related Words
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
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Or the moralizing at the end of the show, when the audience, in sympathy with the Phantom, is asked to unmask.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 Sep. 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
Noun
After all the moralizing from the media in the early days of COVID, under Biden everything was suddenly fine.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Or the moralizing at the end of the show, when the audience, in sympathy with the Phantom, is asked to unmask.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 Sep. 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
-
If a team gets in the red zone five times and kicks five field goals, Singleton remembers Joseph preaching, what’s the score?—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Officials in these countries say the Brotherhood uses a blend of religious preaching, political activism, charitable institutions and media platforms to shape public opinion and challenge state authority.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
After teaching at Sacramento City College and lecturing at UC Davis, Fisher moved into public history, working with the California Office of Historic Preservation and the Architectural History Department at Caltrans.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
To rebuild a consensus, politicians must thus appeal to these swing voters by eschewing moralistic and globalist rhetoric.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
-
The sanitized relationships and moralistic comeuppances that characterize classic-Hollywood movies falsified private life in their own time and enduringly distort the past; a tale such as Crawford’s should dispel nostalgia for bygone days and the myth of their orderly decorum.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Nov. 2025
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
-
But having the freedom to let the music breathe and develop allows the score to feel emotionally expressive, and never didactic.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Much of Iran’s clandestine cinema, including some of Panahi’s earlier works, is didactic, focused on valorizing the victims of the regime’s injustices.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In Queen Mother, Farmer takes a clear-eyed look at Moore’s foibles, noting her absenteeism during her son’s formative years, her embrace of patriarchal hierarchy in Black communities, and her exhortations for Black women to embrace polygyny to facilitate nation building.—
Dara T. Mathis,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
-
His view toward law could be summarized in his indelicate three-word exhortation to his fellow prisoners at Nuremberg to show no remorse for crime and no respect for law.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
My goal is to bring positive vibes to hip-hop without being preachy or judgmental, and the music being fire.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
8 Oct. 2025
-
This overtly political, preachy and unfunny?—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Roberts court, unusually obsessed with the Supreme Court’s public reputation and appearance of political interference, might consider such a ruling a way to balance limiting executive power without tanking the broader economy.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
-
As well as visibility of the northern lights, strong geomagnetic storms can also cause problems with technology, such as fluctations in the power grid and interference with satellites, which can affect GPS.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Moralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralizing. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share