pillory

American  

[pil-uh-ree] / ˈpɪl ə ri /

noun

plural

pillories

1. a wooden framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used to expose an offender to public derision.

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verb (used with object)

pilloried, pillorying

1. to set in the pillory.

2. to expose to public derision, ridicule, or abuse.

   The candidate mercilessly pilloried his opponent.

pillory British  

/ ˈpɪlərɪ /

noun

1. a wooden framework into which offenders were formerly locked by the neck and wrists and exposed to public abuse and ridicule

2. exposure to public scorn or abuse

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verb

1. to expose to public scorn or ridicule

2. to punish by putting in a pillory

Other Word Forms

• unpilloried adjective

Etymology

Origin of pillory

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English pyllory, from Old French pilori, perhaps from Medieval Latin pīlōrium, equivalent to Latin pīl(a) “pillar” ( see pile ¹) + -ōrium noun suffix ( see -ory ²), though Romance variants such as Provençal espillori suggest a less transparent source

Explanation

A pillory is a wooden frame with cutouts for someone's head and hands. Long ago, people found guilty of a crime could be sentenced to be locked in a pillory for a certain amount of time for punishment but also for public humiliation. The verb pillory means to be punished by being locked in a pillory, but references to this form of punishment are historic and it is no longer used — you might see references today to someone in a pillory in a cartoon. As a modern verb, pillory means both to criticize harshly and to expose to public ridicule. Someone who is caught doing something immoral may be pilloried and people who believe they have been unfairly criticized say they have been pilloried, but often only after they've been exposed!

Example Sentences

City hall, the slave market, and town pillory were all there, and the wharf on the East River “made it a rendezvous for pirates,” writes Sobol.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

But lower courts are free to pillory SCOTUS’s decisions as long as they apply them fairly.

From Slate • Dec. 10, 2024

But, he said, “this report needs to lead to meaningful change. If it only leads to pillory and blame of the exceptional majority of officers then only criminals will benefit.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2023

Speaking to Newsnight, he said people should not "want to pillory a man who has led us through this crisis and create turmoil within the country".

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2022

She could not face the family, or the whispering and staring that would turn her own family pew into a pillory.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare