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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 The rules governing red cards are sacrosanct in the international game, and Belgium were joined by legions of federations, fans, pundits, heads of state and former referees in excoriating FIFA for the decision to let Balogun play. — Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026 There's still guys that will just excoriate me up there. — Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 Smullen’s campaign launched an anti-Constantino website that excoriates him for, among many other things, his past registration as a Democrat. — Michael Hill, Fortune, 12 June 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 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
  • Another warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was also attacked to the east of Moscow, Vorobyov said, with a fire breaking out at the facility.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Crossing threat Undoubtedly, Coventry’s best attacking moments come from wide positions.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Lemon water can irritate teeth or stomach in large amounts and may need to be limited in people with advanced kidney disease who have fluid or potassium restrictions.
    — MD Published, Verywell Health, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Few things at airports irritate customers like filthy toilets or water on the restroom floor.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • Mills was grabbed and scolded by defensive coordinator Aden Durde for his obvious no-no.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Dodge the question, scold the critics and kick the can down the road.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of scold
Verb
  • When Alice starts to have a panic attack, Catherine slams her syringe into her neck.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Eduard Löwen played an inward-arcing corner kick and the 6-foot-1 Beecher slammed home a header from 5 yards out in the 27th minute.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of slam
Verb
  • Wasserman Schultz was sharply criticized by Black community leaders and the other four candidates, who are all African American, for running in this district.
    — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Ba's novels explored women caught between traditional upbringing and modern aspirations, criticizing polygamy, widespread in the country, and patriarchy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticize
Verb
  • The two proceed to deceive each other, insult each other’s appearances, and abandon each other in precarious situations.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • At the time, TMZ reported that the fight started when the other inmate, whose identity was not made public, insulted the rapper.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of insult

Browse Nearby Words

excommunications
excoriate
excoriated
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on excoriate

Nglish: Translation of excoriate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All