1
as in attacks
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriates
Verb
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The third mayoral candidate, Mike Liebelson, is largely self-funded, and attacks both rivals for accepting money from developers and other special interests.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026 -
In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.—
Maria Sherman,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s another distinctly New York habit that irritates Manville — at the end of the performances, theatergoers leap to their feat, not just to applaud, but to whip out their cellphones to record the curtain call.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Jan. 2026
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Somehow, this irritates Helen even more.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Or on Bluesky with the joke scolds, or on Mastodon with the Linux hackers, or on Threads with the voice-forward brands?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The incident comes as a powerful winter storm slams California, dumping heavy snow and bringing high winds across the Sierra Nevada.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
18 Feb. 2026
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Winter storm slams the East While Arizona's system is mostly a light-rain and mountain-snow setup, a sprawling winter storm is creating far bigger problems across the eastern half of the country.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since last fall, the Media Research Center, a right-wing organization that criticizes legacy media outlets, has turned its attention on Apple News’ story selection.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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Paxton’s intervention also criticizes the panel of administrative law judges for failing to seek a medical expert’s opinion before determining Bowden could be subject to discipline from the medical board.—
Evan MacDonald,
Houston Chronicle,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Malware often abuses them to take control of your device.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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As a child, Heathcliff’s main tormenter is Cathy’s brother, Hindley, who physically abuses Heathcliff and forces him to work in the stables as a servant.—
Becky Little,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As an example, Vance called out an essay in The Nation that assails Kirk’s views on women, homosexuality, and affirmative action.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Desire fires him, cuts him to pieces, lambastes him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Excoriates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriates. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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