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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriating

Verb

Electing to keep his No 5 on the field, the Brazil head coach made a subtle tactical tweak that saw Endrick enter the action and brought Matheus Cunha further to the left flank — which unlocked the attacking prowess of Vinicius Junior.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026
In patients with type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 July 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

But these creams are specifically formulated with textures and ingredients that’ll support the skin without irritating the delicate eye area.

— Daley Quinn, Glamour, 9 July 2026
Unanswered workplace messages are a common, irritating phenomenon, often perceived as deliberate avoidance despite recipients being active elsewhere.

— Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of irritating

Verb

Prosecutors allege Clay intentionally drove his car onto the sidewalk, sped toward a crowd of pedestrians and hit eight of them before slamming into a gate.

— Jason Green, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Paul has accused Mortensen in court of stalking and, on one occasion, slamming her head into the dashboard of his truck.

— Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026

Definition of slamming

Verb

In a game not known for high scores, the pace of goals in this World Cup has left some fans scratching their heads.

— Ashley Mowreader, NBC news, 3 July 2026
In April, when Rojas got news that his father had been rushed to the hospital, Roberts quickly took the decision on whether to play out of Rojas’ hands, scratching him from the lineup.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026

Definition of scratching

Verb

Soon though, Shawna noticed some of Zaayer's strange behaviors — including scolding her grandson, getting upset over cleaning habits and allegedly showing them racist videos.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Justice Barrett actually sounded kind of sharp, almost scolding, in the opinion in her criticism of the assertions made by the plaintiffs and some of the justices in the minority.

— John E. Jones III, The Conversation, 1 July 2026

Definition of scolding

Verb

Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had again been aggressively criticizing NATO for its lack of support over Iran and for failing to spend anywhere near enough money on its own security.

— Justina Lee, CNBC, 10 July 2026
That didn't stop the public from criticizing the weekend congestion.

— Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Definition of criticizing

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excoriates

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excoriation

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“Excoriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriating. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of excoriating

verb

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