inquisitor
noun
in·quis·i·tor
| \ in-ˈkwi-zə-tər
\
\
Definition of inquisitor
: one who inquires or makes inquisition
especially
: one who is unduly harsh, severe, or hostile in making an inquiry
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Other Words from inquisitor
inquisitorial
\ in-ˌkwi-zə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl
\
adjective
\
adjective
inquisitorially
\ in-ˌkwi-zə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of inquisitor in a Sentence
He had to answer his inquisitors' questions or be thrown out of school.
Recent Examples on the Web
If an aim of congressional Democrats had been to present the public with a clear and convincing view of presidential misconduct, this seesawing from one sympathetic Democrat to the next Republican inquisitor will not have helped. — The Economist, "Impeachment looks even less likely now than before Robert Mueller’s testimony," 25 July 2019 In the California senator’s first two-and-a-half years in office, she’s built her reputation as a fierce inquisitor, tangling on Capitol Hill with a who’s who of Trump appointees and nominees. — Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, "Watch Kamala Harris grill a who’s who of Washington’s most powerful figures," 28 June 2019 Two men are being tortured, their inquisitor intent upon learning the fate of the Shroud of Antioch, a religious relic stolen from a church in Toulouse five years earlier. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "A lush tale of love and hate and religion and politics," 20 June 2019 Some of her closest friends on Monday said Ford — whose maiden name is pronounced BLAH-zee — is ready to stand up to her most important inquisitors: the senators who had been on the verge of confirming Kavanaugh just days ago. — Julia Prodis Sulek, The Seattle Times, "Who is Christine Blasey Ford, the accuser of court nominee Kavanaugh?," 18 Sep. 2018 The parliament made an exception and added one specialist to the panel of inquisitors: the MEP who led on GDPR, Jan Philipp Albrecht, a German politician from the Green Party who is due to step down in July. — Natalia Drozdiak, WSJ, "What Could Facebook’s Zuckerberg Be Quizzed on at European Hearing?," 22 May 2018 Don’t wait for your busybody inquisitor to react to your explanation. — New York Times, "A Protégé Behaves Badly. Should You Remain His Mentor?," 1 June 2018 Spencer Platt Getty Images As Facebook (fb, +0.40%) CEO Mark Zuckerberg finished his forced march through Congress, his inquisitors were left mumbling confusedly about data-scraping and the Dark Web. — James Scott, Fortune, "Commentary: Sweden Actually Protects its Residents’ Data. America Should Take Note.," 13 Apr. 2018 Some of his inquisitors appeared annoyed by Mr Zuckerberg’s rehearsed responses, but that did not stop many onlookers from being chuffed by his smooth, slightly robotic, performance. — The Economist, "If Facebook will not fix itself, will Congress?," 11 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inquisitor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for inquisitor
inquisitor
noun
English Language Learners Definition of inquisitor
: a person who asks many difficult questions in a harsh or unkind way
: a member or officer of the Inquisition
See the full definition for inquisitor in the English Language Learners Dictionary