What is the meaning of pillory?

noun

  • 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.

verb

  • Expose to ridicule or public scorn.
  • Punish by putting in a pillory.
  • Criticize harshly or violently.
    • usage: "The press savaged the new President"; "The critics crucified the author for plagiarizing a famous passage"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
11
 
|15 years ago|2k views|share |citing 
APAWordNet. (2010). pillory. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/pillory/definitions/1206776
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "pillory" http://smartdefine.org/pillory/definitions/1206776 (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, pillory, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/pillory/definitions/1206776>.
MLAWordNet. "pillory" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/pillory/definitions/1206776>
{ class="autoclick" }next definition (/)