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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
Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
President Donald Trump excoriated Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) over his support for banning members of Congress and the president and vice president from trading or holding stocks while in office.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2025
The bills were excoriated by Democrats who called the package of immigration policies antithetical to American values, particularly as the Trump administration expels migrants — in some cases to a Salvadoran prison — without court hearings to review claims of criminality.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 1 May 2025
The account routinely excoriates Denver's current leaders for the way the city approaches addiction and homelessness.
—Denver Post, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Cite this Entry
“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excoriate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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excoriate
verb
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