preachy

American  

[pree-chee] / ˈpri tʃi /

adjective

preachier, preachiest

1. tediously or pretentiously didactic.

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preachy British  

/ ˈpriːtʃɪ /

adjective

1. informal inclined to or marked by preaching

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Other Word Forms

• preachily adverb
• preachiness noun

Etymology

Origin of preachy

First recorded in 1810–20; preach + -y ¹

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

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

The company also says it is planning updates to reduce preachy or overly cautious responses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

That we need to be less preachy, and administer fewer purity tests.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025

The film could easily have been a preachy lecture about the dangers of the internet.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

I instantly developed respect for the author because of his unique style of writing, not to mention the fact that he didn’t throw in some stupid preachy message.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers