as in browbeating
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as in intimidating
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
the judge warned the attorney that hectoring the witness with aggressive questioning would not be allowed
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Recent Examples of hectoring
Greg Evans, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Sure, there's the hectoring of Federal Reserve officials, Chairman Jerome Powell and Governor Lisa Cook, and the attempt by the president to make the central bank another appendage of the White House.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026
Perhaps more meaningfully, the message is the antithesis of a contrived political pitch or a hectoring sermon.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Dealing with the hectoring racket of New York fans may well have prepared him to withstand the noise of the Super Bowl.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
Imagine if Clooney had chosen to use his star power to spotlight a genuinely worthy project — the way, say, Sarah Paulson did with Appropriate or Keanu Reeves is doing with Waiting For Godot — rather than the stuffy, moribund, on-the-nose hectoring that was Good Night, and Good Luck?
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Sure, there's the hectoring of Federal Reserve officials, Chairman Jerome Powell and Governor Lisa Cook, and the attempt by the president to make the central bank another appendage of the White House.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
Pratt was just another angry New Yorker hectoring calumnies against all forms of authority.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026
Perhaps more meaningfully, the message is the antithesis of a contrived political pitch or a hectoring sermon.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
Dealing with the hectoring racket of New York fans may well have prepared him to withstand the noise of the Super Bowl.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectoring
Verb
-
Beaulah orders Joaquin to clean up the mess, which involves dragging his brother to rehab and possibly intimidating Wes’s highly suspicious widow, Whitney (Olivia Rose Keegan), into leaving town.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
The learning curve, while gentler than tennis, can still feel intimidating in a social setting.—
Jeff Fromm,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Nearly five years after the Noel Clarke scandal, Britain’s independent bullying and harassment complaints body is finally about to launch its landmark whistleblowing service.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
Many children are withdrawn from public schools because of bullying, negative peer pressure, or health concerns.—
James R Mason,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
His process of doing so involved disparaging his accusers, browbeating people and institutions that no longer wanted to be associated with him, and refusing to accept a path that precluded a return to being a public figure.—
Elizabeth Spiers,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Analysts have suggested a vote from Waller in favor of interest rate cuts, aligning with the president’s browbeating demands for lower borrowing costs—could be seen as a bellwether for his candidacy.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After Douglas, Miami picked up a 6-5 1/2, 261-pound bulldozing blocking tight end in Kacmarek, who can be an asset in paving holes in the run game.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Their bulldozing run up through non-League and the EFL deserves respect, but they’re not held together by a rubber band.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This teaching is more urgent now because of tech-heavy medicine and the coming onslaught of AI in patient care.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
That acknowledgement sparked an onslaught of questions that will likely rest on when Hoskins, a Republican and staunch supporter of the map, decides whether the campaign can reach the ballot.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The sheriff's office added that there was no threat to the community and also no suspect at large.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
Ackman pushed back on concerns over Microsoft’s $190 billion 2026 capex budget, arguing it as growth investment on a J curve rather than a threat to margins.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The hotel’s L’Oasis pool garden — hidden slightly farther inside the property away from the frenzy of the Croisette — mimics the show’s poolside power plays.—
Melinda Sheckells,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
In the 88th, a shot that sends Jamaica’s Blake flying across his goal at full stretch works the crowd into a frenzy.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
After the fallout over the Epstein files’ revelations on Mandelson, Rayner led a lawmakers’ revolt to force the government to cede control to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee to decide which documents should be released into the public domain.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
Trump is facing something of a revolt at home.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hectoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectoring. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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