henpecking

verb

present participle of henpeck
as in nagging
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders my doctor henpecked me into adopting a healthier lifestyle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for henpecking
  1. nagging
  2. hounding
  3. begging
  4. dogging
  5. urging
  6. needling
  7. bothering
  8. badgering
Verb
  • His advice for a session is to chase whatever task is nagging at you, but resist the temptation to sneak in actual work.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
  • His one rule for guests is to chase whatever task is nagging at them, but to resist sneaking in actual work.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026
Definition of nagging
Verb
  • Speaking about the tumultuous relationship on a 2024 episode of SiriusXM's This Life of Mine with James Corden, Miller reflected on the boiling point between the scandalous affair and the chaos of the paparazzi and tabloids hounding them.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026
  • Members of the media followed the family constantly, hounding them for quotes.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2026
Definition of hounding
Verb
  • Its dressing—creamy from mayonnaise, subtly sweet from a touch of sugar—is begging for the pickle's salty acidity.
    — Inés Anguiano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • The 2026 Toyota Crown is a tame but stylish family car, neither begging you to go off-road or to step on it around country mountains, but instead being an all-around great hauler with the quality Toyota’s known for.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of begging
Verb
  • There is a new solution to a problem that's been dogging the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.
    — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • Stuck with no way out, and the Hexts’ head of security Jon (Lee Jae-yoon) dogging her steps, Cola hid the drive in an empty vodka bottle before she was forced down to the engine room to be held captive.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of dogging
Verb
  • When that didn’t change the safe call, Dalton immediately pointed to the Dodgers dugout, mask in hand urging manager Dave Roberts to challenge.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • To end the endless copying, Anthropic has joined OpenAI in urging the US to view distillation attacks as a form of intellectual property theft.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026
Definition of urging
Verb
  • Lestat wants Molloy to tell his side of the story, but Lestat also can’t bear to open up, spending more time needling Molloy than actually engaging with his questions.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026
  • But as the November election draws closer and Republicans are trying to defend their majorities, Trump is instead needling Congress with his demands and reversals, driving several Republican senators to disparage his actions publicly for the first time.
    — Mary Clare Jalonick, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Definition of needling
Verb
  • Travis was snapped having a blast bothering Jason as the duo attended a match between Jupiter Links GC and The Bay Golf Club at SoFi Center on March 3.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • For now, the Royals hope to figure out exactly what’s bothering him.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • Unlike during Warsh’s first stint at the Fed, the current president has been badgering the central bank for rate cuts.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 May 2026
  • The coding craze spread quickly, from parents badgering their kids to drop the English major and opt for a STEM degree—and former President Barack Obama even urged people to learn to code.
    — Jake Angelo, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of badgering
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

henpecked
henpecking
henpecks
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Cite this Entry

“Henpecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/henpecking. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on henpecking

Nglish: Translation of henpecking for Spanish Speakers

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