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
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.
And those who oppose MAGA conservatism — and its pervasive insistence that the 2020 election was stolen — are excoriated. Karen Yourish, New York Times, 10 July 2024 At the time, physicians and nurses excoriated HCA because of the impact on residents in East San Jose, who would be forced to travel longer distances to receive care for more serious procedures. Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024 So obviously Ring got excoriated by all of the big privacy advocates. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 10 Oct. 2024 Upton, who was excoriated by Trump and other Republicans for his vote, did not run for reelection in 2022 after his district was merged with another member's, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Township. Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for excoriate 

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

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near excoriate

Cite this Entry

“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excoriate. Accessed 12 Dec. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on excoriate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!