pillory
a wooden framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used to expose an offender to public derision.
to set in the pillory.
to expose to public derision, ridicule, or abuse: The candidate mercilessly pilloried his opponent.
Origin of pillory
1Other words from pillory
- un·pil·lo·ried, adjective
Words that may be confused with pillory
Words Nearby pillory
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pillory in a sentence
Compare the British pillory of Tebbit with the reaction in India to the Kashmiri students.
India Row Evokes Cricket’s Ultranationalist Tebbit Test | Tunku Varadarajan | March 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Rails” and “lacerate,” two other words swiftly elected for pillory, were classic Tejpal, overblown, mannered, theatrical.
And because the pillory of a bad book is as culturally stimulating as the lauding of a good book.
Letter to a Young Critic: William Giraldi Defends True Criticism | William Giraldi | September 5, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIt may be gratifying to discover such an example, in favor of the pillory!
The History of Tasmania , Volume II (of 2) | John WestWhen were the last known instances of bull-baiting and cock-fighting in Worcester, and when was the pillory last used?
Notes and Queries for Worcestershire | John Noake
East Looe boasts a further relic of its past in the ancient pillory preserved at the porch of its town hall.
The Cornwall Coast | Arthur L. SalmonIn place of such we have an interesting memorial of Looe's former use of the "cage," a companion instrument to the pillory.
The Cornwall Coast | Arthur L. SalmonHe was fined five hundred pounds and placed in the pillory; the Chief Justice wished that he might be also whipped.
The Trial of Theodore Parker | Theodore Parker
British Dictionary definitions for pillory
/ (ˈpɪlərɪ) /
a wooden framework into which offenders were formerly locked by the neck and wrists and exposed to public abuse and ridicule
exposure to public scorn or abuse
to expose to public scorn or ridicule
to punish by putting in a pillory
Origin of pillory
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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