1
as in attacked
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 excoriated
In cities across the country, judges have excoriated both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP, saying their officers used excessive force.
—
Lisa Song, ProPublica, 7 May 2026
The complicated, two-month saga to return Romero León was laid bare during a court hearing in downtown Los Angeles on April 23, during which a judge excoriated the government for not complying with his order to immediately return the 59-year-old and threatening to issue contempt sanctions.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Kiffin was excoriated by fans and media for abandoning his team, but neither Chambliss nor his family begrudge the coach for leaving.
—Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
Longtime colleagues excoriated one another in internal town meetings.
—Steven F. Wilson, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Past presidents have met with popes and taken their criticisms on the chin, so to speak, but never has a president excoriated a pope in a public manner.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
In recommending Comey's firing, the Justice Department leadership excoriated Comey for his handling of the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of State.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
But he was also excoriated when his worst predictions failed to come true.
—The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
During a fiery congressional hearing last month, Democrats excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Mar. 2026
Lisa Song, ProPublica, 7 May 2026
The complicated, two-month saga to return Romero León was laid bare during a court hearing in downtown Los Angeles on April 23, during which a judge excoriated the government for not complying with his order to immediately return the 59-year-old and threatening to issue contempt sanctions.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Kiffin was excoriated by fans and media for abandoning his team, but neither Chambliss nor his family begrudge the coach for leaving.
—Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
Longtime colleagues excoriated one another in internal town meetings.
—Steven F. Wilson, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Past presidents have met with popes and taken their criticisms on the chin, so to speak, but never has a president excoriated a pope in a public manner.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
In recommending Comey's firing, the Justice Department leadership excoriated Comey for his handling of the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of State.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
But he was also excoriated when his worst predictions failed to come true.
—The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
During a fiery congressional hearing last month, Democrats excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriated
Verb
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Hezbollah, the Lebanese paramilitary force, has attacked Israeli troops and targeted northern Israel with rockets and drones.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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While the man was being attacked, the woman used a shopping cart to fend off the suspect and protect the male victim.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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His last-minute, mixmaster approach to closing out the transit negotiations irritated several participants, but the end result was a fiscally responsible and transformative restructuring of mass transit in northern Illinois.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2022, similar detection work resulted in NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which slammed the DART spacecraft into the small asteroid Dimorphos orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos, changing the orbits of both child and parent around the sun.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 May 2026
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The president also slammed Schumer and his allies in the lengthy post.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal, seek medical attention immediately.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
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Great White became the fifth horse scratched this week and the second Saturday.—
Stephen Whyno,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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The victim said he was singled out for laughing, scolded, and told to continue reading before being ordered into the hallway.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Verb
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In addition to the issues with the tax collector and the city’s credit card, Stewart was also criticized by Fazio for skipping two consecutive debates last week in Farmington and Berlin.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
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Carr publicly criticized the late-night host for remarks made about the killing of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, which was followed by Kimmel’s show being removed from the air for several days before it was reinstated.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excoriated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriated. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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