as in criticized
to subject (someone) to harsh public criticism
The press pilloried the judge for her decision.
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Recent Examples of pilloried
On social media, he was getting pilloried by Fuentes’s legions of fans, many of them alienated young conservatives who call themselves Groypers, in honor of an obese version of the Pepe the Frog meme.
—
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
As an 18-year-old, Bedard was pilloried for having a minus-44 rating.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grew, Biden was pilloried by segments of the Democratic Party, who turned against Israel.
—James Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2025
Dem leadership has been pilloried by Dem voters for rolling over and not standing up to Trump.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Musk was pilloried by the woke crowd for making this an issue.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Last year, in response to some political parodies that used images created by artificial intelligence, including one that pilloried Vice President Kamala Harris, the Legislature passed and Newsom signed two measures to outlaw such tomfoolery.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
As an 18-year-old, Bedard was pilloried for having a minus-44 rating.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grew, Biden was pilloried by segments of the Democratic Party, who turned against Israel.
—James Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2025
Dem leadership has been pilloried by Dem voters for rolling over and not standing up to Trump.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Musk was pilloried by the woke crowd for making this an issue.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Last year, in response to some political parodies that used images created by artificial intelligence, including one that pilloried Vice President Kamala Harris, the Legislature passed and Newsom signed two measures to outlaw such tomfoolery.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilloried
Verb
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Last season during a livestream, Nacua criticized NFL officials and made a gesture regarded as antisemitic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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Canada's Prime Minister and Quebec's legislature criticized the CEO for the language lapse.—
Allison Lampert,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some murder cases in Mecklenburg have taken more than five years to get to trial, something the district attorney has blamed on low staffing and not enough state funding.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
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The humble org chart isn’t usually blamed for holding back innovation.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He’s scolded by fox and hawk for being out in the rain, but Bear shares his berries with Marvin, who gets a ride home on the back of Deer.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
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Tsuyoshi Tahara founded the inaugural race in 2010 in Kyotanabe city, Kyoto prefecture – inspired by a childhood teacher who once scolded him for playing with an office chair.—
Trista Kurniawan,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Castro family has been lauded as heroes by some, but condemned as repressive by others.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, has condemned both US and Iranian threats to target civilian energy infrastructure.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In an interview with public radio station France Inter on Monday morning, Bagayoko said he was disappointed that the presidential palace had not condemned the comments, although Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Culture Minister Catherine Pégard both denounced them.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
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Outside the courthouse in Manhattan, small groups of supporters have denounced the trial as illegitimate.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pilloried.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilloried. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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