as in criticized
to subject (someone) to harsh public criticism
The press pilloried the judge for her decision.
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Recent Examples of pilloried
Toronto taxed Dodgers ace Blake Snell and pilloried his replacements.
—
Andy McCullough, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Dem leadership has been pilloried by Dem voters for rolling over and not standing up to Trump.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Musk was pilloried by the woke crowd for making this an issue.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Last year, in response to some political parodies that used images created by artificial intelligence, including one that pilloried Vice President Kamala Harris, the Legislature passed and Newsom signed two measures to outlaw such tomfoolery.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 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
Andy McCullough, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Dem leadership has been pilloried by Dem voters for rolling over and not standing up to Trump.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Musk was pilloried by the woke crowd for making this an issue.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Last year, in response to some political parodies that used images created by artificial intelligence, including one that pilloried Vice President Kamala Harris, the Legislature passed and Newsom signed two measures to outlaw such tomfoolery.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilloried
Verb
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CEOs and experts have criticized universities for failing to keep up with the times; now that AI is here to stay, students had better be prepared to leverage it in their roles.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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In recent months, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has repeatedly criticized Tucker Carlson.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That same night, while the two friends were playing online together, her friend mentioned that her daughter had developed a cough and blamed it on the water balloons the kids had played with at the party.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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Goldenrods are commonly blamed for fall allergies, though the true culprit is ragweed.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump, then in his first term as president, scolded police in a social media post for not protecting the statue.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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George Clooney is looking back at one of the more surreal moments from his early Hollywood days — getting personally scolded by the legendary Frank Sinatra.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The exchange with the radio host went too far even for some of Mamdani’s Democratic critics, who condemned the conversation as Islamophobic.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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His legal team condemned the plan as unconstitutional and punitive, warning that without assurances from Liberia, Abrego Garcia could be sent back to El Salvador.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Venezuelan officials immediately denounced the move, calling it a threat to regional stability.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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The landmark document, made known by Pope Paul VI in 1965, denounced antisemitism and combatted the narrative that Jews should be collectively blamed for Jesus’ crucifixion.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pilloried.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilloried. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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