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
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
Adjective
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
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Jim Bakker typically handled the preaching on the show while his wife did the singing.—
Adam Bell,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
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Jud sees faith as redemptive, having turned to it after causing the death of a fellow boxer in his youth, while Wicks uses shame in his preaching.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since exiting Dries Van Noten a few years ago, Scallon has been working as an independent consultant and mentor in fashion communications strategy, also lecturing occasionally and sharing his views about creative content on podcasts.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The same woman Don had been lecturing about beer.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Taken together, these triumphal and tragic elements constitute the ingredients for an epic historical narrative that defies all moralistic categories, a story rooted in the coexistence of grandeur and failure, brilliance and blindness, grace and sin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Initially, bedtime stories tended to be moralistic tales designed to reinforce obedience and proper behavior.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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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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
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It was considered immoral to lie and the whole point of writing things down back then was to increase morality and improve society, so there really is no didactic history of forgery.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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However, the pavilion’s visitors rarely complied with this on-screen exhortation, leaving the nearby microphones unused.—
Joanna Warsza,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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Indeed, there were few exhortations from the roster of speakers at Kirk’s memorial to reduce the temperature in American politics or show more tolerance for all sides, right, left and center.—
David M. Drucker,
Twin Cities,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Hu is also a senior official of an organization in China's southern Guangdong province that is part of the Communist Party’s United Front global political influence and interference organization, according to Newsweek research.—
Didi Kirsten Tatlow,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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The charges stemmed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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This overtly political, preachy and unfunny?—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Moralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralizing. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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