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excoriate

[ik-skawr-ee-eyt, -skohr-]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR excoriate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ex·co·ri·at·ed, ex·co·ri·at·ing.

to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally: He was excoriated for his mistakes.
to strip off or remove the skin from: Her palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling.

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RELATED WORDS

revile, castigate, chastise, scold, berate, upbraid, lambaste, rebuke, lash, vilify, reproach, condemn, chafe, peel, rub, scratch, strip, flay, scarify, abrade

Origin of excoriate

1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin excoriātus (past participle of excoriāre to strip, skin). See ex-1, corium, -ate1
Related formsun·ex·co·ri·at·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for excoriate

Contemporary Examples of excoriate

Historical Examples of excoriate

  • Its pamphlets went so far as to excoriate allied methods of warfare and to level accusations of inhumanity against the Belgians.

  • Ghastly faces were staring at her, their lips moving in death to excoriate her.

    The Last Shot

    Frederick Palmer

  • Those attacked by the insect scratch, and in this act they excoriate the skin, crush the lice and contaminate their fingers.

    Handbook of Medical Entomology

    William Albert Riley

  • You must be careful not to have too much of the Liquid on the rag, for fear it should excoriate the gums or inside of the mouth.

    The Toilet of Flora

    Pierre-Joseph Buc'hoz

  • Neither have you a right to excoriate those who are conscientiously operating through the channels spoken of.

    The Abominations of Modern Society

    Rev. T. De Witt Talmage

British Dictionary definitions for excoriate

excoriate

verb (tr)

to strip (the skin) from (a person or animal); flay
med to lose (a superficial area of skin), as by scratching, the application of chemicals, etc
to denounce vehemently; censure severely
Derived Formsexcoriation, noun

Word Origin for excoriate

C15: from Late Latin excoriāre to strip, flay, from Latin corium skin, hide
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for excoriate
v.

early 15c., from Late Latin excoriatus, past participle of excoriare "flay, strip off the hide," from Latin ex- "off" (see ex-) + corium "hide, skin" (see corium). Figurative sense of "denounce, censure" first recorded in English 1708. Related: Excoriated; excoriating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for excoriate

excoriate

[ĭk-skôr′ē-āt′]

v.

To scratch or otherwise abrade the skin by physical means.
Related formsex•co′ri•a′tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.