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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
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Longtime colleagues excoriated one another in internal town meetings.
—Steven F. Wilson, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
At a parliamentary hearing in 2023, MPs asked the former minister of state for development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, a series of excoriating questions about its decision to invest taxpayer money in companies accused of human rights breaches, including the Nairobi Women’s Hospital.
—Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Past presidents have met with popes and taken their criticisms on the chin, so to speak, but never has a president excoriated a pope in a public manner.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Cite this Entry
“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excoriate. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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excoriate
verb
