pillorying

verb

present participle of pillory
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
  1. criticizing
  2. blaming
  3. scolding
  4. condemning
  5. denouncing
Verb
  • After the match, British politicians and fans took to social media to vent their anger, helping amplify a wave of online posts criticizing both Argentina and its national team, digital researchers said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Rather than responding to detailed questions for this story, Sarnecki issued a statement criticizing wasteful government spending.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Definition of criticizing
Verb
  • Affiliate revenue fell 17% to $126 million, with the company blaming basic subscriber declines.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 July 2026
  • Wright said that the argument blaming solar power for raising electricity bills doesn’t make much sense.
    — Velvet Wu July 27, Sacbee.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • Remake includes footage of Adrian urging his father to consider Carr’s offer, and gently scolding him for having passed up certain opportunities to make money—money that would have made the family's life better—off his filmmaking acumen.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026
  • Soon though, Shawna noticed some of Zaayer's strange behaviors — including scolding her grandson, getting upset over cleaning habits and allegedly showing them racist videos.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of scolding
Verb
  • One request from the tenants union was for the city to use the health department’s authority to make emergency repairs to the buildings and refrain from condemning the property.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
  • In fact, the administration was sweeping in condemning the rest of the world - including its strongest allies and largest trading partners - on this topic.
    — Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 24 July 2026
Definition of condemning
Verb
  • Trump did strike some notes of unity, praising the Secret Service and denouncing political violence.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • Turner’s claim came in a series of posts denouncing Sophie Cunningham’s comments on transgender athletes in a recent ESPN profile.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026
Definition of denouncing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pillory
pillorying
pillowy
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Cite this Entry

“Pillorying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillorying. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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