Meaning & use
excoriated
Last updated
“excoriated” is a form of “excoriate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
Past tense and past participle of excoriate: criticized someone or something very harshly in public.
Grammar: Takes an object: the editor excoriated the mayor.
Patterns
- excoriate someone for something
The editor excoriated the mayor for ignoring the flood warnings.
The film was excoriated by critics for its weak script.
She excoriated her team for missing the deadline.
verbtransitivemedical
Past tense and past participle of excoriate: damaged or removed part of the skin by scraping or rubbing.
Grammar: Takes an object: the rope excoriated his palms.
Patterns
- excoriated skin
The rough rope excoriated his hands.
The doctor treated the excoriated patch of skin with ointment.
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Having the skin scraped or rubbed raw, as of a patch of skin.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: excoriated skin.
Patterns
- excoriated skin
- excoriated areas
The nurse cleaned the excoriated skin around the wound.
Constant scratching left his arms red and excoriated.
Common combinations
- excoriated by critics
- The novel was excoriated by critics on release.
- excoriated for
- The company was excoriated for hiding the data.
- publicly excoriated
- The player was publicly excoriated after the loss.
- excoriated skin
- Cream can soothe excoriated skin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- condemned
- Condemned expresses strong disapproval but is less vivid than excoriated, which implies a fierce verbal attack.
- slammed
- Slammed is informal and common in headlines, whereas excoriated is formal and sounds more severe.
- lambasted
- Lambasted is the closest in tone, but it often feels more energetic, with excoriated suggesting scathing and sustained criticism.
- scolded
- Scolded implies a personal telling-off, whereas excoriated is usually public and more intense.
Opposites
Word family
- excoriate verb
- to criticize harshly, or to strip skin
- excoriation noun
- harsh criticism, or a scraped area of skin
- excoriating adjective
- extremely harsh or scathing
Commonly confused: excoriated or exonerated?
excoriated vs exonerated
Exonerated means cleared of blame, the opposite of being excoriated.
Practice
Which sentence uses excoriated correctly?
Choose one answer.
Excoriated means criticized harshly, so a negative reason fits. Loving the film contradicts it, and the other two are not things you excoriate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “excoriated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.