pilloried

verb

past tense of pillory
as in criticized
to subject (someone) to harsh public criticism The press pilloried the judge for her decision.

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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 pilloried He was pilloried near and far for electing to save ace Chris Sale for Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers rather than send him to the mound for Sunday’s Game 2. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 5 Oct. 2026 The studio must have had some idea that the film was going to get pilloried in some corners as the ad went live even before the review embargo broke Tuesday. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 In Europe, multiethnic capitals are pilloried by the far right as demographic time bombs, ground zero for invasions of unwanted foreigners. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026 Flock has been pilloried at city council meetings and its equipment has been physically attacked on the street. — Andrew Zucker, Vanity Fair, 14 Aug. 2026 He was soon being pilloried on several fronts including management decisions that alienated key executives, and a public fight with star Scarlett Johansson. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026 No wonder Izzy gets pilloried so many times just for having the driest sense of humor. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026 At the time, this movie was pilloried by most critics. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 June 2026 Monroe was pilloried, in her moment, but she was also allowed by Hollywood to test her talents in a manner that, decades later, actresses known for their physicality still struggle to do. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilloried
  1. criticized
  2. blamed
  3. scolded
  4. condemned
  5. denounced
Verb
  • As Maddox-Evans discussed those topics, a resident criticized the pace of redevelopment and the housing waitlist, demanding an apology for conditions in her home as she was escorted out of the meeting.
    — Nats_syndicator, Baltimore Sun, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Customers have sometimes criticized the approach, arguing the contracts could have started sooner and battling it out in court.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • In diagnosing what happened in North Carolina last week, Budd blamed the extent of their losses on national Republicans’ decision to pull funding for Michael Whatley, their Senate nominee, late in the cycle.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The vote came as Republicans grapple with the fallout from sweeping midterm losses that some in the party have blamed on the war in Iran and the resulting surge in gas prices.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of blamed
Verb
  • Abe doesn’t like that Erin scolded him at his party about spilling his drink and not helping with the kids, and Erin is frustrated that none of her children will listen to her.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
  • For example, just recently, Musk publicly scolded the CEO of Delta in a scorching post on X when the airline did not partner with Starlink to provide Wi-Fi on Delta flights.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • The board member claimed the former employee never told the board that the schools should be condemned.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The building didn’t just fall into disrepair but was legally condemned by the town of Branford due to fire safety and other code violations.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of condemned
Verb
  • Black’s lawyers have repeatedly denounced the Oversight Committee’s pursuit of the former head of a private equity firm as an abuse of congressional power.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Band member Hanni Pham nonetheless denounced ADOR for its treatment of her and her bandmates in a 2024 testimony to the Korean Parliament.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of denounced

Browse Nearby Words

pillboxes
pilloried
pillories
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Cite this Entry

“Pilloried.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilloried. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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