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
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Recent Examples of excoriate
The fight boiled over on the Senate floor when a pair of Republican senators excoriated the court over its unanimous decision.
—
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
The judge excoriated Iwamasa before imposing the sentence.
—City News Service, Daily News, 27 May 2026
And she’s proven a popular voice on social media, where a recent TikTok video excoriating the Supreme Court decision on voting rights drew more than 19 million views.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 21 May 2026
Trump constantly excoriated Massie and endorsed his primary opponent Ed Gallrein and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth even campaigned with Gallrein on Monday.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
The judge excoriated Iwamasa before imposing the sentence.
—City News Service, Daily News, 27 May 2026
And she’s proven a popular voice on social media, where a recent TikTok video excoriating the Supreme Court decision on voting rights drew more than 19 million views.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 21 May 2026
Trump constantly excoriated Massie and endorsed his primary opponent Ed Gallrein and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth even campaigned with Gallrein on Monday.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriate
Verb
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Vance, asked by a reporter about the criticism from the Israeli government, singled out Israeli Cabinet officials who have attacked the deal, saying Netanyahu has not shared the same opposition in the vice president's conversations with him.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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After the good Samaritan got him off the woman, witnesses say the man wandered to produce and began attacking a 16-year-old boy, but Garbe had followed him.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Verb
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But one snafu irritated a sizable portion of the more than 3,000 students gathered at Arie Crown Theater to hear the astronauts discuss their mission.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
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Health officials say the gas can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and may be especially troublesome for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Someone else scolds the offender.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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This time, however, Charlotte promptly scolded him for his untoward behavior.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
Verb
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In Santa Clara, the letter said, a woman on mental health diversion for carjacking proceeded to steal another car and slam it into an outside table at a restaurant, leaving one person dead and others injured.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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The bomber was in the air a very short time before slamming into the ground about halfway down the runway.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Draper contested the claims and denied all wrongdoing and criticized the Commission on Judicial Performance.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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The image quickly spread on social media, where some fans criticized the pose as disrespectful while others defended Wembanyama, who is from France.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Outrage became loud when the night's heavyweight champion, Josh Hokit, insulted former first lady Michelle Obama to host Joe Rogan moments after winning his fight.—
Leigh Blickley,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
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The two-minute trailer includes a recreation of the famous sailor-kissing-a-nurse photo from V-J Day, a woman insulting David’s butter churning, some trench warfare repartee about the looks of a soldier’s love back at home, the Boston Tea Party, and jokes about child labor.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriate. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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