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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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
-
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
-
Jackson is awarded a master of divinity degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary because his life experiences more than fulfill the requirements for his missing courses in pastoral care, preaching and international relations.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Therefore, now is not the time to be lecturing our partners and allies.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
-
That includes lecturing, building curriculum, pursuing research and speaking about university policy.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The script, penned by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, becomes bizarrely moralistic by the end, insinuating that the debased and debauched might perhaps see their problems solved by becoming domesticated.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 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
-
Season 2 features a laughably didactic arc in which a family earns too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to pay their bill.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
And the violent scenes aren’t grotesque or didactic — think of Miles’ muted trumpet sound reconfigured as resurrection visuals, of his ability to play and stage ballads so well that their uptempo momentum moves into territories too macabre to mute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Caminero’s sprint included several mid-stride hops and fist pumps and exhortations to the crowd.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Freedom is a struggle, Ronald Reagan’s proclamation said in 1986, echoing Frederick Douglass’s exhortation that if there is no struggle, there is no progress.—
Adam Harris,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 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
-
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) they were tested against fast-moving aerial targets under heavy electromagnetic interference, a scenario aimed to mimic modern electronic warfare environments.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
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Dear Member Owners, Joe Holtz’s abuse of authority in using the Coop’s mailing list to send a message to each of us about how to vote in the upcoming election is straight-up election interference.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralizing. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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