pillory

/pˈɪləɹˌi/

/ˈpɪɫɝi/

to pillory

MAIN VERB

expose to ridicule or public scorn

synonyms : gibbet

to publicly criticize or mock someone

synonyms : blast

punish by putting in a pillory

Pillory

a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the wrists and neck; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scorn

Examples

1. The newspapers pilloried the great hero of the Carolinas as a traitor.

2. She was pilloried.

3. They were now pilloried by their opponents, the Democrats, as radicals, as amalgamationists, as miscegenationists.

4. Although neither one was really a day at the beach, the pillory was intended to be a rougher form of punishment than the stocks.