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
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 movie’s second half travels to the Gaza border for a series of excoriating, excruciating monologues with the literal fog of war as background.
—Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair, 25 Mar. 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
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 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 movie’s second half travels to the Gaza border for a series of excoriating, excruciating monologues with the literal fog of war as background.
—Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair, 25 Mar. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriating
Verb
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Fitz also has some stiff competition in the attacking midfield.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
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Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Valve’s timing also coincided with a tenuous time for Windows, when Microsoft was asking users to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11, an OS with a reputation for being irritating and having higher system requirements.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
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Strong gusts of wind disperse the pollen and mold, irritating lungs.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The world’s second largest economy has been relatively insulated from the historic global oil crisis slamming its neighbors – including key regional US allies – due to China’s huge oil reserves, its high level of energy self-sufficiency and its early shift to green energy.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
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Stewart’s critics have been slamming her, saying there was a pattern of favoritism at city hall during her 12-year tenure.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Verb
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More than two months into the Iran war, many analysts are still scratching their heads that wartime leaders in Washington did not plan for an Iranian shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
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The two interconnected frame pieces then slid into each other, with handy round rubber stickers on the legs to keep the steel from scratching the floor.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
8 May 2026
Verb
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First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
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Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stir or whisk in the dry ingredients, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure no dry streaks of flour remain.—
Martha Stewart,
Martha Stewart,
8 May 2026
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The process of scraping food, touching the sink and other surfaces will leave your hands needing a proper wash as well.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Bass defended her administration’s handling of homelessness, pointing to declining homelessness counts and the city’s Inside Safe program, while criticizing Raman’s record on police hiring and past votes against some encampment enforcement measures near schools and other sensitive sites.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
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The spike in the number of homicides that Little Rock experienced following the covid-19 pandemic featured heavily in that race, with Landers criticizing Scott’s record on public safety.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excoriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriating. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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