1
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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Recent Examples of excoriating
The president often has chosen a combative approach, even excoriating Democrats during the bipartisan prayer breakfast this year, Upton noted.
—
Zac Anderson, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya raised these points when excoriating siblings studies on social media in September.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
The beat resumed, the volume its usual excoriating self, Shields’ guitar reprogrammed to give a hint of body-moving swing.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025
Prescott’s excoriating memo was the catalyst for the resignations of Director General Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025
The Lynx lost that game, and then, with Collier in a boot on the bench and her coach suspended for excoriating the referees in her defense, came up short in the decisive Game Four, too.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations — changed his tune after two refineries announced plans to shut down.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
But a federal judge threw out the lawsuit in March 2024, excoriating the platform’s case as plainly punitive rather than about protecting the platform’s security and legal rights.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
The level of anger was quickly evident in state media broadcasts - which analysts say are often a measure of official Saudi viewpoints - with television news reports personally excoriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
—Pesha Magid, Reuters, 14 Feb. 2025
Zac Anderson, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya raised these points when excoriating siblings studies on social media in September.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
The beat resumed, the volume its usual excoriating self, Shields’ guitar reprogrammed to give a hint of body-moving swing.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025
Prescott’s excoriating memo was the catalyst for the resignations of Director General Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025
The Lynx lost that game, and then, with Collier in a boot on the bench and her coach suspended for excoriating the referees in her defense, came up short in the decisive Game Four, too.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations — changed his tune after two refineries announced plans to shut down.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
But a federal judge threw out the lawsuit in March 2024, excoriating the platform’s case as plainly punitive rather than about protecting the platform’s security and legal rights.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
The level of anger was quickly evident in state media broadcasts - which analysts say are often a measure of official Saudi viewpoints - with television news reports personally excoriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
—Pesha Magid, Reuters, 14 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriating
Verb
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Instead of attacking, linemen are often tasked with reading, reacting and playing two different gaps.—
Joseph Hoyt,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
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Some ghouls lose their humanity, while others become more violent shells of their former selves, attacking the wasteland creatures and the player.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Seminole-Palm Harbor contest got a bit dicey in the second half, with questionable calls irritating players, coaches and fans, most notably on the Seminole side.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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The team wasn't supposed to be landing at Miami International Airport, but because of the historic blizzard that was slamming the Northeast, the flight from Italy arrived in the Sunshine State.—
Marybel Rodriguez,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
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At the University of South Dakota, art professor Michael Hook was fired for slamming Kirk in the wake of his assassination.—
Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When not used correctly, aluminum foil can cause problems such as blocking air vents, scratching the enamel of your oven, starting a fire if used in the microwave, or causing uneven cooking of cookies.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
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There was something about the footprints disappearing in the powder dusting the sidewalks, the heaps of dirty snow that the kids tried to conquer like Everest, and dogs nearly my size scratching their backs on a tiny patch of ice that resonated with me.—
Leslie Hsu Oh,
Outside,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Porter was initially viewed as having a potential edge in the race, but her prospects dimmed after videos emerged in October of the UC Irvine law professor scolding a reporter and swearing at an aide.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Crucially, the film avoids the trap of scolding younger generations or romanticizing the past.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Papa Johns had 170 restaurants in Ohio in 2025, according to the data-scraping website ScrapeHero.—
James Powel,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2026
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There were bits of physical comedy — the flower, the bowing and scraping around Catherine de Bourgh — that was kind of clowning, really.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kiros previously worked for a law firm and wrote an open letter in 2023 criticizing how law firms were responding in 2023 to pro-Palestinian protests.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
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And Britt has refrained from mentioning the boy in her public remarks, instead focusing on criticizing Democrats for refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid negotiations.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excoriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriating. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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