excoriate

verb

ek-ˈskȯr-ē-ˌāt How to pronounce excoriate (audio)
Definition of excoriatenext
1
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly the mayor had hardly been in office for a month before she was being excoriated for problems of very long standing

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to irritate
to make sore by continued rubbing the manacles had badly excoriated the prisoner's wrists

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 excoriate And she’s proven a popular voice on social media, where a recent TikTok video excoriating the Supreme Court decision on voting rights drew more than 19 million views. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 21 May 2026 Jim Trusty, the lawyer for Rozier, excoriated the league after a hearing Wednesday that served as a status update on Rozier’s case, as well as the other three defendants who remain indicted alongside him. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 11 June 2026 In Israel, the drawdown of hostilities places additional pressure on Netanyahu, whose political base has repeatedly excoriated him as not doing enough to combat Hezbollah while being too weak to stand up to Trump. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 Sheryl Crow excoriated Donald Trump‘s White House birthday bash, which included a UFC fight, in a post to her Instagram story on Monday. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriate
  1. attack
  2. irritate
  3. scold
  4. slam
  5. criticize
  6. insult
Verb
  • According to court documents reviewed by The Times, the model alleges that Sandoval shoved her down a flight of stairs in his home, pushed her to the ground at a hotel in Nashville, and attacked her and her father on June 3.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Electing to keep his No 5 on the field, the Brazil head coach made a subtle tactical tweak that saw Endrick enter the action and brought Matheus Cunha further to the left flank — which unlocked the attacking prowess of Vinicius Junior.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Avoid potentially irritating actives Immediately after shaving is not the time to reach for your strongest skin-care products.
    — Emma-Jade Stoddart, Glamour, 5 July 2026
  • While some of my linen pieces feel scratchy, this one is ultra soft and doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin.
    — Shea Simmons, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • 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
  • Justice Barrett actually sounded kind of sharp, almost scolding, in the opinion in her criticism of the assertions made by the plaintiffs and some of the justices in the minority.
    — John E. Jones III, The Conversation, 1 July 2026
Definition of scold
Verb
  • Prosecutors allege Clay intentionally drove his car onto the sidewalk, sped toward a crowd of pedestrians and hit eight of them before slamming into a gate.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • Anthony Seigler led off the fifth with a double, Ceddanne Rafaela walked, and Abreu slammed a two-run double off the right-field wall for a 5-1 lead.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 July 2026
Definition of slam
Verb
  • For all her talk of women as allies, Siebel Newsom portrays conservative women who criticize other women as dupes manipulated by MAGA leaders.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Last month, his ally Uthmeier declined to criticize the state party’s decision to limit the debate.
    — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of criticize
Verb
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers insulted their Catholic paying customers by honoring a drag group that parades around as nuns and mocks their religion.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • But insult records and revenge songs go back to well before hip-hop.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of insult

Browse Nearby Words

excommunications
excoriate
excoriated
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“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of excoriate for Spanish Speakers

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