pillory

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noun pil·lo·ry \ ˈpi-lə-rē , ˈpil-rē \

Definition of pillory

plural pillories

1 :a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked

2 :a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule

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Did You Know?

In days gone by, criminals who got caught might well have found themselves in the stocks (which held the feet or both feet and hands) or a pillory. Both of those forms of punishment - and the words that name them - have been around since the Middle Ages. We latched onto "pillory" from the Anglo-French pilori (which has the same meaning as our English term), but the exact origins of the French term are uncertain. For centuries, "pillory" referred only to the wooden frame used to hold a ne'er-do-well, but by the early 1600s, folks had turned the word into a verb for the act of putting someone in a pillory. Within a century, they had further expanded the verb to cover any process that led to as much public humiliation as being pilloried.

Illustration of pillory

Origin and Etymology of pillory

Middle English, from Anglo-French pilori

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

pillory

verb

Definition of pillory

pilloried; pillorying

transitive verb

1 :to set in a pillory as punishment

2 :to expose to public contempt, ridicule, or scorn

See pillory defined for English-language learners

Examples of pillory in a Sentence

The press pilloried the judge for her decision.

Recent Examples of pillory from the Web

And for their opposition they were pilloried — even threatened — by members of their own party.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Often Missing In The Health Care Debate: Women’s Voices," 17 Aug. 2017
During the campaign, Trump was pilloried for retweeting an image that was widely perceived as anti-Semitic.

— emily jane fox, vanityfair.com, "Jared and Ivanka Aren’t Pushing Bannon Out—Yet," 15 Aug. 2017
During the campaign, Trump was pilloried for retweeting an image that was widely perceived as anti-Semitic.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "Jared and Ivanka Aren’t Pushing Bannon Out—Yet," 15 Aug. 2017
Sometimes, people could be beaten to death or severely hurt by the rocks and other objects thrown at them while they were pilloried.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The Author of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ Used Almost 200 Pseudonyms," 31 July 2017
That would mean surviving another 685 days of plotting and pillorying.

— The Economist, "Just about managingTheresa May celebrates one lonely year in Downing Street," 13 July 2017
Trump’s announcement speech was pilloried for his charge that Mexican immigrants were rapists who were bringing drugs into the country.

— joshua green, Daily Intelligencer, "Steve Bannon Is Out of Trump’s Doghouse and Leading the Charge Against Mueller," 9 July 2017
George got pilloried for that move, but at least Indiana was able to get something in return (as meager as that haul from the Thunder turned out to be).

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: What is the 2017-18 ceiling for Heat without Hayward?," 5 July 2017
Insurers are increasingly exiting the off-exchange market as well, forcing wealthier people who buy unsubsidized plans to rely on the very Obamacare marketplace the administration and Republicans in Congress have pilloried and worked to undermine.

— jayne o'donnell, USA TODAY, "More than 1,370 counties may only have one health insurer serving them," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pillory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of pillory

circa 1600

PILLORY Defined for English Language Learners

pillory

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noun

Definition of pillory for English Language Learners

: a device that was used in the past for punishing someone in public and that consists of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked