pillory

verb

Definition of pillorynext
as in to blame
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 pillory 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 But those who voted for a non-binding pro-ICE resolution have been pilloried for it. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pillory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillory
  1. blame
  2. criticize
  3. scold
  4. condemn
  5. denounce
Verb
  • Hammer’s been leaning into the Jerry Springer comparisons lately, and who can blame him?
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The latest incident came more than a decade after South Korea blamed the North for land mine explosions that maimed two South Korean soldiers and sharply raised tensions between the countries in August 2015.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of blame
Verb
  • The group of senators — which includes all Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Africa panel — criticized both sides of the conflict.
    — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In 2021, Cruz sought to revoke Major League Baseball’s century-old antitrust immunity after the MLB decided to move its All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to a new Georgia voting law civil rights groups had criticized as restrictive.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of criticize
Verb
  • The Amazon Prime Video broadcasters all considered the male Fever fan guilty before details of what actually happened came out, scolding him on air for his behavior.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Tired of Luann’s antics already, Porsha chats with the other women during it, and Luann doesn’t just yell at her from the stage but walks into the crowd to scold her face-to-face into the microphone.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of scold
Verb
  • In a rare sign of unity within Kosovo's fractured legislative assembly, lawmakers earlier this week unanimously condemned the war crimes verdicts in a declaration.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Particularly, individuals on the Right are condemning the fraternity members being picked apart in the public court of opinion.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of condemn
Verb
  • Neon’s announcement comes after the SCP Wiki team denounced a film from A24, Spooky Pictures and Image Nation shortly after it was unveiled.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The merger has been unpopular in Hollywood and critics denounced the settlement as weak.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of denounce

Browse Nearby Words

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pillory
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Cite this Entry

“Pillory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillory. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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