LECTURE Synonyms: 133 Similar and Opposite Words

lecture 1 of 2

verb

Definition of lecture

as in to scold

to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings the frustrated manager lectured the waitstaff about its poor level of service

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to speak

to give a formal often extended talk on a subject a physician who has lectured before countless audiences on the importance of diet and exercise in avoiding heart disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

lecture

2 of 2

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 lecture

Verb

Often, the pincher is in the company of an elder who lectures to her. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 The bald guy lecturing me on how to get the money looked real enough, but the question of his true being kept rattling around my increasingly paranoid mind. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026

Noun

See also, Serra, lecture delivered at the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA, April 16, 1988. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 The seeds of this relationship were planted in 1949, when Hughes delivered a lecture featuring his own poetry at Simone’s high school in Asheville, North Carolina. — Jason Miller, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lecture

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lecture

Verb

By the time his daughter shows up, flanked by her mom and upright dentist stepdad, Lee’s moved on from scolding the room to thanking his mother for believing him.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
District of Columbia Judge Ana Reyes angrily scolded government attorneys in a hearing to block the government from cutting down more trees at East Potomac Golf Course.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of scold

Verb

But Netanyahu’s government wanted the existing framework kept intact, according to multiple sources who spoke to TIME, including an Israeli official and an international diplomat.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

— HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of speak

Noun

Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye, charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara, sang.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
The show was based around chats with guests and Christian entertainers, with Bakker offering upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye singing.

— Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of sermon

Verb

The Denver school board censured director Monica Hunter on Thursday night, the third time in five years that the governing body of Colorado’s largest K-12 district has publicly reprimanded a colleague.

— Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
She was reprimanded by the House Rules and Ethics Committee for her stunt with the bullhorn.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of reprimand

Verb

But the Amazon and Blue Origin founder argues that some politicians are blaming the wrong culprit.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
Jason Jimenez said the county coroner’s death report found the cause of death to be cocaine toxicity and did not place blame on the officers.

— Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of blame

Noun

Those cases often centered on devices mistakenly activating or capturing speech that was not intended as a command.

— MacKenzie Sigalos,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
But Peter O’Toole plays your adviser and has these wonderful speeches about the importance of the monarchy and the spirit of the country.

— Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of speech

Browse Nearby Words

lectors

lecture

lectured

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Lecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lecture. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of lecture

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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