inquisitorial

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.

The inquisitorial stance was, she said, her role as a congressional overseer charged with holding people accountable.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

In a letter to the judge, Mr. Trump’s legal team said “the judicial system relies upon vigorous advocacy amongst the parties, rather than inquisitorial research by the presiding judicial officer.”

From Washington Times • Nov. 11, 2022

Five years later, Robert Allan joined 59 others on a grand jury, “the first sitting of an inquisitorial body” since Seattle’s passage of liquor prohibition.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2019

“We’ve gone from an adversarial system to what I’d call an inquisitorial system, meaning there’s one person—i.e., the prosecutor—putting defendants through their paces.”

From Slate • Apr. 7, 2015

The eager zeal of the friars did not wait to be armed with the organized authorization of inquisitorial powers.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Lea, Henry Charles