pillory

1 of 2

noun

pil·​lo·​ry ˈpi-lə-rē 

ˈpil-rē

plural pillories

1

: a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked

2

: a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule

Illustration of pillory

• pillory 1

pillory

2 of 2

verb

pilloried; pillorying

transitive verb

1

: to set in a pillory as punishment

2

: to expose to public contempt, ridicule, or scorn

Did you know?

In days gone by, criminals who got caught might well have found themselves in the stocks (which held the feet or both feet and hands) or a pillory. Both of those forms of punishment—and the words that name them—have been around since the Middle Ages. We latched onto pillory from the Anglo-French pilori, which has the same meaning as our English term but the exact origins of which are uncertain. For centuries, pillory referred only to the wooden frame used to hold a ne'er-do-well, but by the early 1600s, folks had turned the word into a verb for the act of putting someone in a pillory. Within a century, they had further expanded the verb to cover any process that led to as much public humiliation as being pilloried.

Examples of pillory in a Sentence

Verb

The press pilloried the judge for her decision.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Yet these quiet scenes are punctuated with tactile depictions of dirt, not to mention the visceral suffering of a man held in the pillory where maggots feed on his open leg wound. —Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2024

When they’re caught, the two men (Gary Maitland and Noor Dillan-Night) are put in a pillory without so much as a show trial. —Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2024

Verb

Baier, who has helmed eight conventions since taking over the top anchor role at Fox in 2009, has aspirations to win the ratings battle once again when Harris, whose ascendant candidacy is pilloried nightly on the network’s lineup of opinion shows, formally accepts the Democratic nomination. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2024

Deadpool pillories Tatum for his poor accent work and frets over the audience missing important exposition. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 26 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French pilori

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

pillory

noun

pil·​lo·​ry

ˈpil-(ə-)rē

plural pillories

1

: a device formerly used for the public punishment of wrongdoers that consists of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked

2

: exposure to public scorn or ridicule

pillory verb