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 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
Pesha Magid, Reuters, 14 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriating
Verb
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The team has started the 2025/26 season in a less than free-flowing fashion and has struggled to put up the attacking numbers that might be expected of a defending champion.—
James Nalton,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Atalanta comes in with resilience and attacking threats, particularly in transition, but their back line has looked shaky at times this year.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, Agnes is dressed exactly like Wednesday and her Single White Female act is irritating the hell out of her hero.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
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Pesky skeeters are irritating Lake County residents as the number of insects carrying the worrisome West Nile Virus climbs.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Center fielder Lawrence Butler was the first player to score, slamming a ball into center field during his first at-bat to lead off the first inning.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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The instruments detected gravitational waves, faint ripples in space-time produced by the two black holes slamming into each other.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The fourth quarter of Sunday’s early-window games featured one head-scratching special teams play and a game in which two teams traded consecutive return scores in a span of 12 seconds.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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Both are resistant to cracking and scratching, but Apple says the second-generation material is three times more resistant to scratching.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To add details, etch swooping lines around the holes by scraping away the pumpkin's outer skin to create contrast.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Sep. 2025
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Two games into 2025, the league’s lowest-scoring team from last year is still scraping the bottom.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The reaction to Noack's viral Instagram post has been overwhelming, with many people criticizing her and her parenting style.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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The dispute also drew in renowned rabblerouser Wack 100, who defended Adam22 while criticizing Styles’ stance.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excoriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriating. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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