beseeching 1 of 3

adjective

bi-ˈsē-chiŋ How to pronounce beseeching (audio)
Definition of beseechingnext
as in prayerful
asking humbly a beseeching letter from his parents asking him to bring the grandchildren for a long overdue visit

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beseeching

2 of 3

noun

as in pleading

Related Words

beseeching

3 of 3

verb

present participle of beseech
as in begging
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner parishioners ardently beseeched the local bishop not to close their beloved church

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 beseeching
Adjective
This case has seen lot of what amounts to table-pounding by the defense, with a constant rat-a-tat-tat of motions, demands for discovery, followed by more beseeching requests. — Howard Blum, Washington Post, 26 June 2024 The same beseeching gaze gets complicated by a character like Dre—at once naïve and ruthless, in control yet entirely lost. — Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023
Noun
Prayer is a basic practice of almost all religions, and what is prayer if not a beseeching of a synchronicity from God? — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Some Cypress Village residents are beseeching the city to keep it that way, even as the HOA applies to let the pickle balling resume. — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beseeching
  1. prayerful
  2. pleading
  3. begging
  4. petition
  5. petitioning
  6. entreaty
  7. supplication
  8. imploring
Adjective
  • Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo performed a prayerful ceremony traditional before a hunt.
    — Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
  • That’s the prayerful explanation for the nonsense that spouted this week from the leaders of a football conference that hopes to grow up and be the Big Ten someday.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Definition of prayerful
Noun
  • Less pleading and more of a warning, Beyoncé’s version of the beloved hit features different lyrics and an introduction that directly references the original track.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The narrator is vulnerable, pleading, totally at the mercy of the other woman.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of pleading
Verb
  • Gianni Infantino went from immovable king of football to touring the world, begging people for support.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In the wake of Curry’s death, the Who Done It crew are begging Paramount to trawl its vaults and release the cut.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of begging
Noun
  • Under Ohio law, a postconviction petition must generally be filed within 365 days after the trial transcript is filed in the court of appeals.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Shares for gambling operators DraftKings and FanDuel's parent company Flutter Entertainment, were both up by more than 5% after New Jersey filed its petition.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of petition
Verb
  • Oregon State’s players took the campaign a step further, petitioning state regulators for union representation and the right to bargain with their university.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Last month, California Coastkeeper Alliance and other nonprofit groups tried to expand the clean water protections statewide by petitioning six other regional water boards.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of petitioning
Noun
  • Alicent makes similar entreaties to Rhaenyra, offering to divide the kingdom, with Aegon in charge of the stormlands, westerlands, the Reach and rule from Oldtown, with everything to the north going to Rhaenyra.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • These are the people who will likely be most amenable to negotiations or personal entreaties.
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 17 June 2026
Definition of entreaty
Noun
  • Given the dramatic manner in which the hulking piers marched down the center of the institution’s narrow corridor, flanked by the photographer’s three-inch-square Polaroids, hung as if in awed supplication, the effect verged on hyperbole, the gnomic ceding to the grandiose.
    — James Quandt, Artforum, 2 June 2026
  • Like the appeals made by women during the antiquity to midwife goddesses, prayer and supplication were ways to affirm intentions for healthy pregnancies, calm labors, and living children.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of supplication
Noun
  • But Old Trafford’s direct imploring of him to stay beyond the end of the current season should leave them in no doubt.
    — Mark Critchley, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of imploring

Browse Nearby Words

beseeches
beseeching
beseem
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Cite this Entry

“Beseeching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beseeching. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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