inquisitor
noun
in·quis·i·tor in-ˈkwi-zə-tər 
: one who inquires or makes inquisition
especially : one who is unduly harsh, severe, or hostile in making an inquiry
inquisitorial
in-ˌkwi-zə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl
adjective inquisitorially
in-ˌkwi-zə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē
adverb 
Example Sentences
He had to answer his inquisitors' questions or be thrown out of school.
Recent Examples on the Web This other inquisitor from the Fast and Furious movies is ready to replace you. 
David Betancourt, Washington Post, 23 June 2022 The ministry, a mix of spy agency and Communist Party inquisitor, has used more sophisticated hacking tools, like security flaws known as zero days, to target companies, activists and governments. New York Times, 26 Aug. 2021 What, one inquisitor asked, was the wavelength of the dim light, calculated in the infinitesimal unit of measurement known as angstroms? Alex Traub, New York Times, 16 June 2021 Cassidy cast a wary eye at an inquisitor who suggested that the officials have called a good series, given the amount of physical play. BostonGlobe.com, 4 June 2021 Dvorkin can thus be called, without much exaggeration, the Kremlin’s grand inquisitor. Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 20 Mar. 2021 At oral arguments, Nahmias is routinely well prepared and an aggressive inquisitor. Bill Rankin, ajc, 11 Mar. 2021 To postpone their execution, a group of women accused of witchcraft lure their inquisitor into witnessing the witches’ Sabbath. Jacob Siegal, BGR, 7 Mar. 2021 Harris achieved no significant legislation in the Senate during an era of heightened partisanship but built her national reputation as a tough inquisitor of Trump administration officials. Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2021 See More
David Betancourt, Washington Post, 23 June 2022 The ministry, a mix of spy agency and Communist Party inquisitor, has used more sophisticated hacking tools, like security flaws known as zero days, to target companies, activists and governments. New York Times, 26 Aug. 2021 What, one inquisitor asked, was the wavelength of the dim light, calculated in the infinitesimal unit of measurement known as angstroms? Alex Traub, New York Times, 16 June 2021 Cassidy cast a wary eye at an inquisitor who suggested that the officials have called a good series, given the amount of physical play. BostonGlobe.com, 4 June 2021 Dvorkin can thus be called, without much exaggeration, the Kremlin’s grand inquisitor. Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 20 Mar. 2021 At oral arguments, Nahmias is routinely well prepared and an aggressive inquisitor. Bill Rankin, ajc, 11 Mar. 2021 To postpone their execution, a group of women accused of witchcraft lure their inquisitor into witnessing the witches’ Sabbath. Jacob Siegal, BGR, 7 Mar. 2021 Harris achieved no significant legislation in the Senate during an era of heightened partisanship but built her national reputation as a tough inquisitor of Trump administration officials. Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1504, in the meaning defined above