Synonyms of excoriating

excoriating

verb

present participle of excoriate

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attacking
• slamming
• scolding
• criticizing
• scathing
• blasting
• abusing
• insulting
• savaging
• assailing
• lambasting
• castigating
• bashing
• cursing
• trashing
• jumping (on)
• harassing
• belaboring
• tying into
• berating
• vituperating
• sailing into
• reprimanding
• haranguing
• reviling
• potshotting
• disparaging
• harrying
• blaspheming
• execrating
• affronting
• belittling
• chiding
• vilifying
• slandering
• chastising
• beating up on
• fulminating
• whipping
• libeling
• slurring
• lighting into
• profaning
• rebuking
• traducing
• imprecating
• bad-mouthing
• aspersing
• blackguarding
• lashing (out)
• lacing (into)
• putting down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• praising
• commending
• complimenting
• hailing
• lauding
• acclaiming

2

as in irritating

to make sore by continued rubbing

the manacles had badly excoriated the prisoner's wrists

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritating
• scratching
• scraping
• fretting
• chafing
• galling
• burning
• abrading
• grazing
• peeling
• skinning
• inflaming
• flaying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of excoriating

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

Hannah Einbinder brings vulnerability to a project that needs her brand of self-excoriating fearlessness. — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 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

William Hall, who represents Chatham, from excoriating the company. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026

At a parliamentary hearing in 2023, MPs asked the former minister of state for development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, a series of excoriating questions about its decision to invest taxpayer money in companies accused of human rights breaches, including the Nairobi Women’s Hospital. — Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026

The famous detective novelist and screenwriter had written an essay for the magazine excoriating the motion-picture industry and its tolerance for—indeed celebration of—mindless mediocrity. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026

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