as in to blame
to subject (someone) to harsh public criticism
The press pilloried the judge for her decision.
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Recent Examples of pillory
State Republicans have pilloried the board and Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose appointees dominate the board, for driving up gas prices, a hot-button issue throughout the state, which currently has the country’s second-highest price per gallon, behind only Hawaii, according to AAA.
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Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
The meltdown was so bad that Southwest was pilloried by Saturday Night Live.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2024
Still, this investigation led German politicians to pillory the show for having misused taxpayer money toward such extravagant ends.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Oct. 2024
Ironically, Trump was punishing Syria for violating a redline that Obama had drawn and a chemical weapons disarmament agreement that Obama had struck with Syria, both of which Trump pilloried his predecessor for having done.
—Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
See all Example Sentences for pillory 
Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
The meltdown was so bad that Southwest was pilloried by Saturday Night Live.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2024
Still, this investigation led German politicians to pillory the show for having misused taxpayer money toward such extravagant ends.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Oct. 2024
Ironically, Trump was punishing Syria for violating a redline that Obama had drawn and a chemical weapons disarmament agreement that Obama had struck with Syria, both of which Trump pilloried his predecessor for having done.
—Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
See all Example Sentences for pillory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillory
Verb
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Kennedy has a long history of blaming vaccines for autism.Catherine Tan, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
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The regime blamed the economic collapse on sanctions, the price Syria had to pay for standing up to foreign powers.Loubna Mrie, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Bo French, the chairman of the Tarrant County, Texas, GOP, criticized Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, alleging that an emphasis on DEI programs had undermined the military's effectiveness.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
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Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit the following year, arguing that DeSantis and state Republicans had waged a concerted campaign to punish Disney for exercising its speech rights to criticize Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Critics at the time said those changes hurt trans athletes, but Hawley and Kennedy scolded Baker this week that no trans women should be allowed in women’s sports at all — a position that’s become a major part of the GOP agenda over the past several years.Samantha Riedel, Them, 20 Dec. 2024
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Chalamet, who played Laurie opposite Ronan's Jo in the 2019 adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott literary classic, recalled his friend and acting colleague scolding him on set for being late to hair and makeup.Nick Romano, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, the Gulf country's foreign ministry said in a statement.Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
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Musk continued to post dozens of messages condemning the original spending plan, seemingly dooming its chances of passage and increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Pillory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillory. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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