as in sermonic
marked by or given to preaching moral values
I found the novel's moralizing tone a bit much for beach reading
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as in preaching
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of moralizing
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
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
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
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
-
The idea that animals became transfixed by Francis’ preaching was reiterated in other devotional texts.—
Vanessa Corcoran,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
-
In the 1980s, he was ordained as a Pentecostal minister, and went on to lead parallel careers in acting and preaching.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes the messages got feisty, with Epstein lecturing Karp over a fee.—
Tom Schoenberg,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Before the world complicated things with espresso machines, oat milk debates, and influencers lecturing to you about grind size, wild coffee trees were clinging to the Ethiopian highlands.—
John Noakes,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The United States went to war in 2001 and 2003 with a very moralistic, very crusading view of war, a very black-and-white view that there were good guys and bad guys, and America would wield the swift sword of justice.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Jan. 2026
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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
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
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The film, without proving didactic, untangles the complications of finding appropriate care for someone with her cognitive disabilities, as Emily and Bob struggle with a healthcare system that isn’t set up to support people like her.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Davis’ book makes sense of all this without being overly didactic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Trump’s exhortations to the oil industry dovetail with a broader push to address cost-of-living concerns weighing heavily on Republicans’ bid to maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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In calmer times, a leader expounding from such heights risks sounding preachy and self-righteous.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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And the story is sweet as well, with a pro-environment message that isn’t too preachy.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These activities, conducted outside normal flight paths near El Paso International Airport, caused FAA concern about possible interference with civilian flights.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
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If this pilot study is to contribute meaningfully to the evidence base, its methods, data and results must be accessible and insulated from political interference.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralizing. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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