excoriation

American  

[ik-skawr-ee-ey-shuhn, -skohr-] / ɪkˌskɔr iˈeɪ ʃən, -ˌskoʊr- /

noun

1. the act of excoriating.

2. the state of being excoriated.

3. an excoriated place on the body.

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Usage

What does excoriation mean? Excoriation is the act or an instance of excoriating—harshly scolding, criticizing, denouncing, or expressing intense disapproval of someone or something. Excoriating someone often involves the severest possible tone and words. This sense of excoriate is based on its original, literal meaning: to strip off or remove the skin from an animal or person. The skin on your hands might be excoriated from hard yard work, for example. The word flay can be used as a synonym for both the figurative and literal sense of excoriate. Excoriation can also refer to the state of being excoriated. In a medical context, excoriation can refer to an instance of the skin being scratched, scraped, or otherwise caused to be rubbed off or removed. It can also refer to a part of the body where this has happened, as in The patient had a large excoriation on his back as a result of the accident. Example: Her public excoriation of her rival for his role in the scandal was severe and unyielding.

Etymology

Origin of excoriation

1375–1425; late Middle English excoriacioun < Medieval Latin excoriātiōn- (stem of excoriātiō ). See excoriate, -ion

Compare meaning

How does excoriation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• excoriation vs. abrasion

Explanation

An excoriation is a harsh criticism. If your senior prank involves releasing a flock of chickens into the halls of your high school, you're practically asking for an excoriation from the principal. Excoriation comes from the Latin roots ex, meaning off, and corium, meaning skin. The medical meaning of excoriation refers to a place where your skin is scraped or abraded. If you fall off your bicycle, you may get excoriations on your hands and knees. The idea of excoriation as severe censure comes from this medical definition. If you give someone a harsh lecture, you have verbally whipped and abraded that person, perhaps leaving mental scrapes and scratches.

Example Sentences

Since then, he has devoted his energies to a public excoriation of senior military figures that would have once been unthinkable.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2023

“Thrust” is the culmination of everything she has been writing toward, a blistering excoriation of power structures that also honors the resilience of those who fight back.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2022

It was the toxic lens through which society was celebrating her while persecuting her that I despised, even if I was participating in the excoriation.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2021

It echoed a similar excoriation by Michelle Obama, the former first lady, two days earlier.

From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2020

But if they gave him 130 or fewer pounds, they risked the ire of rival horsemen and the excoriation of journalists.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand