1
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
the mayor had hardly been in office for a month before she was being excoriated for problems of very long standing
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Recent Examples of excoriate
The Wall Street Journal editorial board excoriated Attorney General Pam Bondi for suggesting hate speech is not protected under the law in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.
—
Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
Once again, Miller called Dudek and excoriated him.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg excoriated Trump during an Iowa town hall hosted by the liberal group VoteVets Action Fund.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2025
Cleaver and other Kansas City lawmakers have excoriated the effort, framing it as a brazen and undemocratic power grab that would dampen the voting power of Kansas City and its nearby suburbs.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
Once again, Miller called Dudek and excoriated him.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg excoriated Trump during an Iowa town hall hosted by the liberal group VoteVets Action Fund.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2025
Cleaver and other Kansas City lawmakers have excoriated the effort, framing it as a brazen and undemocratic power grab that would dampen the voting power of Kansas City and its nearby suburbs.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriate
Verb
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In the hands of editor Richard Mettler, some of those fragments serve montages that interlace how the tribes prepare to defend themselves with the way Jalabzeen readies himself to attack.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
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Having attacked the edge of the six-yard box, Rodon has to back-pedal and meet the ball, again, wide of the goal.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Always dilute apple cider vinegar with water and drink through a straw to avoid damaging tooth enamel and irritating the esophagus.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
2 Oct. 2025
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The decision by Aaron Turner, Kuminga’s agent, to go on a media tour in recent weeks while negotiating publicly in hopes of landing a better offer for Kuminga, irritated some with the organization, according to league sources.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some council members have criticized the proposal, citing a lack of communication and calling the move premature.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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So far, the league’s response has been not to fix the issue but, instead, to levy fines against players and coaches who criticize refs.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kirk followed Guerrero the next inning, slamming the first of his two homers over the outfield wall.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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As comedians from Bill Burr to Kevin Hart were slammed for performing at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, Dave Chappelle said the Middle Eastern nation is actually more suitable for stand-up than the United States.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The series of tests YouTuber Cody Detwiler put Ben the humanoid through a series of tasks after insulting him and programming him to consider humans as enemies.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
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Patrick doesn’t waste time insulting Ellen about her relationship with Edward, never mind that, as Ellen points out, Edward’s the reason Patrick’s a free man.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriate. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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