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
-
There’s no outright preaching, no plea to condemn or sympathize either way.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
But his preaching of Black supremacy stirred concern in both the white community and the civil rights movement.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At Yale, where Garber began her career, Jacques Derrida was a frequent visitor, and Paul de Man might be found down the corridor solemnly lecturing on Nietzsche.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
How do teachers carry on teaching, lecturing, checking homework and having students prepare for assessments, and how do students enjoy the pleasures that extracurricular activities bring?—
Jerald McNair,
Chicago Tribune,
24 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
-
Granted, there was a lot to criticize in my writing, which was suffering from all sorts of problems, from structural incoherence to insufficient character development to—yes—didactic heavy-handedness that broke the reader’s immersion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Determining how much didactic information is insightful and sufficient, and how much constitutes excessive artsplaining, is a delicate, ongoing challenge for museums.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Passages range from the creation of the world to bloody battles and apocalyptic destruction, from exhortations to love of God, neighbor and the needy to passages telling of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Rather than being presented in a preachy way, Tourkomanis and Low hope that guests experiencing an inspiring, sustainable stay firsthand will invite natural curiosity and questions, and encourage engagement with the environment and how to protect it.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In calmer times, a leader expounding from such heights risks sounding preachy and self-righteous.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Autocracy always ran through Turkey’s politics and state structure, from Ottoman times to Atatürk’s one-party rule to the long twentieth century of its military interference.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
In most households, however, there isn’t enough electromagnetic interference for this to cause a significant problem.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralizing. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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