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
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pilloried Biden for his administration’s massive deficit spending.
—
Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
The series has never strived to be anything more than opulent fluff, but it still gets consistently pilloried for its lack of realism.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
One of the many contradictions of the Trump era is that he is both pilloried in the media, but also given a pass and graded on a curve at the same time.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
That didn’t stop the Energy Department from pillorying the findings.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pillory
Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
The series has never strived to be anything more than opulent fluff, but it still gets consistently pilloried for its lack of realism.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
One of the many contradictions of the Trump era is that he is both pilloried in the media, but also given a pass and graded on a curve at the same time.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
That didn’t stop the Energy Department from pillorying the findings.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pillory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillory
Verb
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Some of their struggles can be blamed on a tough slate of defenses.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Real leadership requires a basic understanding of facts and a desire to do more than just blame others.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some council members have criticized the proposal, citing a lack of communication and calling the move premature.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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So far, the league’s response has been not to fix the issue but, instead, to levy fines against players and coaches who criticize refs.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Several Democratic officials swiftly condemned the agents’ actions as excessive and dangerous.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Schumer later condemned the president for poking fun at federal turmoil.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The age of the Ayatollahs After the fall of the Shah in January 1979, the nascent Islamic Republic denounced his aggressive modernization drive inspired by the West.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, UNC denounced political violence and vowed to investigate Dixon’s involvement in the organization.—
Julia Bonavita , Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pillory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillory. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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