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
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
See All Example Sentences for pillory
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
See All Example Sentences for pillory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillory
Verb
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Conrad, who has always denied the existence of a tape, blamed Pratt for leaking the story.—
Louis Staples,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
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Concentrated forms of it are increasingly blamed for addiction, health issues and even death.—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Verb
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While DeGette has focused her comments on the need for humanitarian aid, Kiros has more directly criticized Israel and questioned its legitimacy as a state.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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The posts criticizing White's coaching decisions, rotations and accountability picked up real traction across Clark-heavy corners of X after the blowout.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Publicly, Ingoglia has become known for barnstorming the state to hold choreographed press conferences scolding cities and counties for wasteful spending.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
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Messi seemed to scold La Familia at one point with a finger wag aimed in their direction, showing his displeasure with their protest.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Lebanon all condemned Iran’s attacks across the Gulf.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
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The owner of Boise’s condemned Union Block building, Kenneth Howell, has appealed his March court loss and filed a new lawsuit against the city, arguing that the condemnation decision was arbitrary.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
3 June 2026
Verb
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As the video drew more attention, protesters gathered at the Shelby Police Department Friday to denounce the officer’s actions and call on the department to take action before he was fired, CNN affiliate WBTV reported.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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The song, and its accompanying video featuring Bryan dancing on a dock, was ripped online, and launched a string of comments denouncing the track — about, yep, fishing and hunting, golfing and drinking — as the product of a large language model.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pillory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillory. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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