1
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
the mayor had hardly been in office for a month before she was being excoriated for problems of very long standing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excoriate
During a fiery congressional hearing last month, Democrats excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs.
—
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Since the Whitney Biennial was founded in 1932, art-world denizens and casual observers alike have relished the opportunity both to champion and excoriate the slates of artists put forward.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2026
Craig Aaron, the co-CEO of Free Press, a consumer advocacy group, excoriated the potential WBD-Paramount merger, warning of dire consequences for the news media.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
The president often has chosen a combative approach, even excoriating Democrats during the bipartisan prayer breakfast this year, Upton noted.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Since the Whitney Biennial was founded in 1932, art-world denizens and casual observers alike have relished the opportunity both to champion and excoriate the slates of artists put forward.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2026
Craig Aaron, the co-CEO of Free Press, a consumer advocacy group, excoriated the potential WBD-Paramount merger, warning of dire consequences for the news media.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
The president often has chosen a combative approach, even excoriating Democrats during the bipartisan prayer breakfast this year, Upton noted.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriate
Verb
-
Authorities are working to identify the owner of a dog that entered a Midlothian home and attacked a 1‑year‑old child and an adult, leaving them bloodied and the child hospitalized with severe injuries.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Banchero’s ball The Magic forward attacked downhill early and often to notch 10 points in the opening quarter and a team-high 18 in the first half.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Many people have come out of the woodwork and jumped on the bandwagon, which irritated me.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The drama erupted last weekend when Jorginho went on Instagram Stories to say that his stepdaughter and wife were scolded at the São Paulo hotel for getting too close to Roan.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On this postcard-perfect corner of Canada’s northeastern province of Newfoundland and Labrador that’s slammed by wind and waves, cod-fishing communities hold on to their distinctive settler history.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
On Sunday, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees slammed Congress for leaving Washington for the Easter/Passover break without reaching an agreement on funding DHS.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Two advisers to Qatar told me that Global Risk had also conducted background checks and written reports on people linked to campaigns criticizing Qatar; corporate-intelligence firms often provide such open-source research.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
However, in a pair of letters to the editor published in the Journal of Pediatrics, doctors criticized the article as hyped.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Cease insulting allies and encourage mediation by Pakistan and Turkey.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The characters don’t know, and the real-life writing staff, Fogelman seems to suggest, won’t insult our intelligence by pretending to.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriate. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
