verb
excoriate
Excoriate (verb) means to strip the skin or fur from something.
verb
1
To strip the skin or fur from something.
2
To rub the skin raw or sore.
3
To criticize someone very harshly.
"The tabloids branded him forevermore as the “love rat,” and Pasternak was excoriated for peddling mawkish fantasy."
— Tina Brown, How Princess Diana’s Dance With the Media Impacted William and Harry (2022)
"The teacher continued to excoriate the student after his academic issues."
"Police are under pressure to accelerate the criminal investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire after an excoriating report found that companies operated with “systematic dishonesty” and that all 72 deaths were avoidable."
— Robert Booth, Police under pressure to accelerate criminal investigation into Grenfell fire (2024)
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Etymology
First attested in the early 15th century in Middle English, it was inherited from Middle English *excoriaten (only found in its past participle), which was borrowed from Late Latin excoriātus, the perfect passive participle of excoriō (“to take the skin or hide off, flay, skin”), from ex- (“out off, from”), corium (“hide, skin”) and -ō. The adjective was used participially as a rule up until Early Modern English, and later became archaic.
Related words
Rhymes for excoriate
See all rhymes for excoriate →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of excoriate?
"excoriate" (verb) means to strip the skin or fur from something.
What is another word for excoriate?
Other words for "excoriate" include objurgate, reprobate, decry, chafe, condemn.
What are the different meanings of excoriate?
"excoriate" has 3 main meanings: 1. To strip the skin or fur from something; 2. To rub the skin raw or sore; 3. To criticize someone very harshly.
