as in to blame
to subject (someone) to harsh public criticism
The press pilloried the judge for her decision.
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Recent Examples of pillory
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
See All Example Sentences for pillory
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
See All Example Sentences for pillory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillory
Verb
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Trump officials blame the previous administration for leaving a backlog of complaints.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Video calls freeze, streams buffer, and suddenly everyone in the house is blaming the router.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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An ardent supporter of military action against Iran, Graham criticized Israel in a social media post on Sunday regarding the strikes on the oil facilities.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
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Instead, federal health officials criticized Democrats broadly, arguing that blue states are participating in fraud and mismanagement of federal funds in public health programs.—
Angela Hart,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At one point her mother, Ri Sol Ju, appears to gently scold her for some transgression as Kim watches with a broad smile.—
Jen Kwon,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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But Saxon said Ye kept him constantly on edge, demanding photo updates of construction work, scolding him for wearing blue instead of the all-black worker uniform Ye preferred, and suddenly adding 24/7 security duties to his workload.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He should be praised, not condemned.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
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Banned by more than 120 nations under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the weapons are widely condemned for their broad-area, indiscriminate effects that often result in catastrophic civilian harm.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The general public, women’s rights groups and public figures including ministers Anielle Franco and Sonia Guajajara took to social media to denounce the incident.—
Eléonore Hughes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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The chat, which was denounced by the state GOP, involved students and several top conservative leaders at Florida International University, according to the Miami Herald, which viewed and independently verified the conversations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pillory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillory. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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