INQUISITORIAL Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

inquisitorial

adjective

as in interrogative

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of inquisitorial Drawing on inquisitorial records, Ginzburg showed how power and resistance are embedded in the same documents, using small-scale cases to illuminate broader tensions between elite and popular culture, and between authority and dissent. — ABC News, 17 June 2026 Universities and research institutions face inquisitorial scrutiny. — Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inquisitorial

Adjective

Hockney’s paintings and drawings, as well as his later photo collages and digital works, invariably had a playful, exploratory, interrogative relationship with perspective, light, scale, framing, rendering—the basic components of picture-making.

— Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.

— Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of interrogative

Adjective

Dozens of media outlets, from international agencies to local TV stations to true crime podcasters, were inside the Lexington County courthouse to again chronicle every forehead rub and quizzical look from the once rich and imposing Southern lawyer.

— Jeffrey Collins, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026
By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.

— James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

Definition of quizzical

Adjective

Even Karp’s more intelligible arguments are quickly trampled over as additional intrusive thoughts took the wheel.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 1 July 2026
Before being diagnosed with OCD in the spring of 2024, Lederer had spent years believing many of her intrusive thoughts were uniquely hers.

— Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026

Definition of intrusive

Browse Nearby Words

inquisitiveness

inquisitorial

in reality

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Inquisitorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inquisitorial. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of inquisitorial

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes