preachy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preachy
Explanation
Someone who's preachy will give you self-righteous advice whether you ask for it or not. The worst movies are the ones that have a preachy moral at the end. When you're preachy, you feel morally superior to other people and you're not afraid to talk about what you think they should do. A preachy neighbor might complain about how rude the kids on his block are and suggest that their parents should teach them some manners. A preachy children's book might have a patronizing message about always saying "please" and "thank you." Preachy is an informal adjective that dates from the nineteenth century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A couple of years ago, in a column about Father Greg Boyle, I noted that he is quite particular and even a bit preachy about the right way to eat a steak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Users — especially those who made the switch to Claude — have recently slammed the app for being unnecessarily wordy and preachy in tone.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026
Mr. King espouses a refreshing perspective on his craft that is anything but preachy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
That we need to be less preachy, and administer fewer purity tests.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2025
He still found the author’s preachy manner annoying, but he couldn’t argue with her facts.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
