EXCORIATING Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

excoriating

verb

present participle of excoriate

as in attacking

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in irritating

to make sore by continued rubbing the manacles had badly excoriated the prisoner's wrists

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of excoriating Several readers have spoken of appreciation for the columns of mine that intersected sports and society, such as excoriating the NFL for its blackballing of Colin Kaepernick. — Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026 Martin Sherman’s play Bent (1979), an excoriating account of the Nazi persecution of homosexuals that is also a story of love between two men in the most terrible circumstances, belongs to this select category. — Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026 Hanaway’s application caps off a day of anger for Missouri Republicans who spent much of Friday excoriating the state Supreme Court’s decision. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026 Indeed, excoriating the high prices of this year’s tournament has turned into a social media subgenre of its own. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026 In a press conference after the hearing, officials sent their condolences to Thompson’s family, while excoriating those who glorified Mangione. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026 While excoriating the loss of his visa, López Beltrán also painted a dystopian picture of present-day life north of the border. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026 The rules governing red cards are sacrosanct in the international game, and Belgium were joined by legions of federations, fans, pundits, heads of state and former referees in excoriating FIFA for the decision to let Balogun play. — Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026 And she’s proven a popular voice on social media, where a recent TikTok video excoriating the Supreme Court decision on voting rights drew more than 19 million views. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 21 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriating

Verb

Murtis of the goddess Durga depict her astride a lion and attacking Mahishasura.

— Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026
The president appeared to be attacking Andrews, a biological woman, over her alleged support of gender transitions for minors and transgender athletes in women’s sports.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

Tactics such as ragebait have only added to the fatigue, irritating enthusiasts already frustrated by the relentless churn of slop.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
The first step to brighter-looking underarms is figuring out what might be irritating them in the first place.

— Glamour, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of irritating

Verb

One camp of the ultra-rich cohort is actively exiting the country and slamming the tax policies as bad for business, while a whole other group is publicly demanding that they be taxed more.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors say that the driver involved in that crash allegedly ran a red light while driving under the influence, slamming into a Metro bus, killing two passengers.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of slamming

Verb

Well, then the sound of television writer Joe Wiseman clearing his throat over and over again might as well be Gilbert Gottfried’s laugh scratching against a chalkboard.

— Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
That tale of two vaccines has experts scratching their heads.

— Amanda Erickson, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of scratching

Verb

The Amazon Prime Video broadcasters all considered the male Fever fan guilty before details of what actually happened came out, scolding him on air for his behavior.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Eventually, all charges were dropped days before trial, with Perry scolding prosecutors for violating the inherent trust placed in the office.

— Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of scolding

Verb

Many have taken to the streets in towns and neighborhoods to protest the worsening situation, with roadblocks, tire-burning and residents holding up signs criticizing the government for not providing adequate solutions.

— Catherine Ellis, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
What readers are saying The comments express strong disapproval of Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream an execution, criticizing it as inhumane and a historical low for the country.

— Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticizing

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“Excoriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriating. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of excoriating

verb

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