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
One year after Vice President JD Vance excoriated European leaders and accused them of sidelining far-right parties, Rubio’s politer tone came as a relief to many in the audience.
—
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Over the past two weeks, three federal judges in Orlando have ordered the immediate release of immigrants from the jail and excoriated prosecutors for arguing that a law addressing people stopped at the border allows ICE to indefinitely lock up people already living in the country.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
In a letter to the state senator, obtained by The Star, the groups excoriated Hall’s nomination on four counts.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
The lower house in the Dutch parliament approved a plan to scrap bonus restrictions for most financial sector staff, a major step in softening a rule that has long been excoriated by the industry.
—Sarah Jacob, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Over the past two weeks, three federal judges in Orlando have ordered the immediate release of immigrants from the jail and excoriated prosecutors for arguing that a law addressing people stopped at the border allows ICE to indefinitely lock up people already living in the country.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
In a letter to the state senator, obtained by The Star, the groups excoriated Hall’s nomination on four counts.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
The lower house in the Dutch parliament approved a plan to scrap bonus restrictions for most financial sector staff, a major step in softening a rule that has long been excoriated by the industry.
—Sarah Jacob, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriate
Verb
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Iran has also threatened to attack Israel, meaning a regional war again could erupt across the Middle East.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
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Iran threatened to escalate any conflict if the US attacked, ahead of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And for Paramount, losing an expensive late-night comedian and irritating a few TV personalities may ultimately be the cost of doing business in a world where the biggest transactions could hinge on the feelings of a mercurial and demanding world leader.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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If something irritates you, the Aries moon encourages you to speak up.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Saxon said Ye kept him constantly on edge, demanding photo updates of construction work, scolding him for wearing blue instead of the all-black worker uniform Ye preferred, and suddenly adding 24/7 security duties to his workload.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
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In Zambrano’s case, Gee scolded the government over how the detention unfolded.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kitchen cabinets get a lot of wear since they’re constantly being opened, slammed, and bumped all day long.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
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Many students in Massachusetts returned to school on Wednesday following a Monday blizzard that slammed the region with snow and power outages.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The move was fiercely criticized by Epstein’s victims and their advocates.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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His role, Reggie Porter Montgomery, was originally played by the late Chadwick Boseman — his future Black Panther costar — who was fired after just one week on set for criticizing Reggie's character arc for playing into racial stereotypes.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The way the women proceed to talk about their dating lives, however, continues to insult the experiences of the viewers.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
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Trump would be foolish to insult the justices.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriate. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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