excoriate

verb

ex·​co·​ri·​ate ek-ˈskȯr-ē-ˌāt How to pronounce excoriate (audio)
excoriated; excoriating

transitive verb

1
: to wear off the skin of : abrade
2
: to censure scathingly

Did you know?

Excoriate, which first appeared in English in the 15th century, comes from "excoriatus," the past participle of the Late Latin verb excoriare, meaning "to strip off the hide." "Excoriare" was itself formed from a pairing of the Latin prefix ex-, meaning "out," and corium, meaning "skin" or "hide" or "leather." "Corium" has several other descendants in English. One is "cuirass," a name for a piece of armor that covers the body from neck to waist (or something, such as bony plates covering an animal, that resembles such armor). Another is "corium" itself, which is sometimes used as a synonym of "dermis" (the inner layer of human skin).

Examples of excoriate in a Sentence

He was excoriated as a racist. The candidates have publicly excoriated each other throughout the campaign.
Recent Examples on the Web The company would immediately be abandoned by advertisers and publicly excoriated, with executives having to issue apologies and beg for forgiveness. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 These changes are a stark departure from the earliest days of the crisis, when public-health experts excoriated public figures—among them, former President Donald Trump—for evoking flu to minimize COVID deaths and dismiss mitigation strategies. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 That description fits the scam Shawn Thompson ran on a Miami woman, an extortion that got Thompson excoriated by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Barket in a December summary judgment. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 Another, Cardinal Raymond Burke, who frequently spoke at conservative conferences that excoriated Francis, lost his pension and Rome apartment. Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024 Ryan Zink, who served sixty days in jail for his actions at the Capitol, paced the stage wearing a black blazer and jeans, excoriating his fellow-Republicans for their disloyalty. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2024 One of the most dramatic moments of the Carroll case came while Ms. Carroll’s lead lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan, delivered her closing arguments excoriating Mr. Trump for continuing to defame her client even after being found guilty of such conduct at the earlier trial. Kate Christobek, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2024 Mark Hamill infuses Arthur Pym, the family's ruthless and unflappable attorney/fixer, with unexpected empathy, and Gugino delivers many a masterful monologue as Verna, who excoriates the various victims in her smooth and silky whisper. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 9 Oct. 2023 Pro-war culture crusaders excoriated celebrities for engaging in erotic high jinks in scanty attire at a trendy Moscow club while Russian troops died on the front. Paul Sonne, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excoriate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin excoriatus, past participle of excoriare, from Latin ex- + corium skin, hide — more at cuirass

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excoriate was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near excoriate

Cite this Entry

“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excoriate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

excoriate

verb
ex·​co·​ri·​ate ek-ˈskōr-ē-āt How to pronounce excoriate (audio)
-ˈskȯr-
excoriated; excoriating
: to criticize very severely
excoriation noun

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