pillory

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

|Updated on: 27 Jul 2018

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

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First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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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

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Examples of pillory in a Sentence

The press pilloried the judge for her decision.

Recent Examples of pillory from the Web

By the time Trump reversed his policy Wednesday, Nielsen had been both yelled at and praised by Trump and pilloried for repeating his falsehoods.

— Washington Post, "‘Great job,’ says Trump: Nielsen back in good graces for now," 21 June 2018
In 2015, actress Jessica Alba's Honest Company was sued and widely pilloried for claims about a number of products, including sunscreen consumers claimed didn't work.

— jayne o'donnell, USA TODAY, "You're going to get burned if you take so-called natural sunscreen capsules, FDA warns," 22 May 2018
Recently she was forced to erect a fence around her office to keep Stephon Clark protesters at bay, and was getting pilloried for taking campaign contributions from law enforcement groups.

— marcos bretón, sacbee, "East Area Rapist, the case that haunted a prosecutor – until now," 27 Apr. 2018
Democratic hopefuls Randy Bryce and Cathy Myers said that's not enough and have pilloried the Trump administration.

— craig gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Immigration crisis: Support grows among Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans for keeping children with parents," 21 June 2018
By contrast, all four of the state’s U.S. House Democrats have pilloried the practice in recent days.

— yvonne wingett sanchez, azcentral, "McCain rips Trump's family separation policy as an affront to American decency," 18 June 2018
Los Angeles Times Apology tour: European lawmakers pilloried Facebook Inc.

— shelby grad, latimes.com, "Essential California: USC's president faces call to resign," 23 May 2018
Twenty years ago, Monica Lewinsky was pilloried throughout the American media for her affair with Bill Clinton.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "A Tale of Two Women, and Two Eras," 13 Mar. 2018
Fallon, who did not ask one substantive question of his guest, was pilloried for the interview at the time.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Jimmy Fallon Can’t Ignore Donald Trump," 26 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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PILLORY Defined for English Language Learners

pillory

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