as in criticizing
to subject (someone) to harsh public criticism
The press pilloried the judge for her decision.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillorying
Verb
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Kerr, who played for Popovich in San Antonio at the end of his career and has a strong relationship with his former coach, was asked about load management in the context of a prominent former teammate criticizing the concept.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025 -
The former school board member turned charter school executive has built her platform by criticizing the public school system, promoting school choice and private alternatives – all while profiting from establishing and providing services to charter schools throughout the state and nation.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Golfers can stop blaming bad luck for those maddening near-misses.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Trump is just straight-up doling out untruths – and blaming Biden.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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Like an impatient parent scolding their toddler, Frankenstein grows frustrated with his monster’s limited capacity for speech.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) promptly put out a statement later that week condemning Indonesia's treatment of the team.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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By appointing a man who was deeply unpopular with fans by the end of his reign so recently, though, Wolves would have been condemning him and his players to working in a poisonous environment from day one.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Cubans have been denouncing the worsening situation on social media and questioning the official figures and authorities’ denials of deaths amid the lack of medications and supplies in pharmacies, hospitals and local clinics.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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For instance, his administration went from warmly embracing India to denouncing it nearly overnight.—
Richard Fontaine,
Foreign Affairs,
27 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pillorying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillorying. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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