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Glite Dictionary
⚰️ Killing by mob 💻 Public shaming
lynching

lynching

11 9.1
A public attack by a group that shames a person, often online
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪŋkɪŋ/
  • Offensive
translation icon : linchamiento
  • There is no doubt that, in part, the scientists have undergone a sort of judicial lynching.
  • tech lynching
  • high-tech lynching

I think most of the back and forth lynching on politics is done on social media and it's done and it's and it's done.

Examples

  • The public lynching of the celebrity on social media sparked serious conversations about online mob behavior.

  • Indeed, the hearings were, as Thomas described them, a "high-tech lynching."

    Academic text (1992)

  • I think most of the back and forth lynching on politics is done on social media and it's done and it's and it's done.

    Theo Von

  • I'm angry at the return of lynching as a substitute for justice.

    Blog text (19)

  • You really need to DM me on Twitter if you are going to start a virtual lynching.

    Blog text (26)

  • But we didn't have large scale lynchings like we have now in social media.

  • Nobody said it doesn't need fixing, but public lynchings based on unsubstantiated blog posts are not the solution.

    Blog text (22)

  • In a broader sense, the lynching of Nicholas Romey underscores how the racialization of Syrians made sense, or acquired meaning, in relation to a racialized other, namely African Americans.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Many people criticized the political lynching of the journalist, arguing that he was being punished without a fair trial.

  • The hashtag campaign turned into a virtual lynching, damaging the reputation of the individual accused of misconduct.

Synonyms

vilification
vslynching
  • Formal
6 8.4

Saying or writing very harsh and unfair things about someone to damage their reputation

is a collective public shaming carried out without fair process
stigmatization
vslynching
  • US
3 8.4

Treating a person as shameful so others avoid or blame them

focuses on active group shaming and public humiliation without fair process
denouncement
vslynching
  • Formal
1 7.7

A public statement that strongly criticizes someone or something

involves group-driven shaming and exclusion without fair procedure

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to defend
691 2.8

To speak up to support a person or idea when others criticize it

Compounds

anti-lynching
6.4

A law or campaign to stop mob killings and punish people who do them

How Punitive

lynching
  • Offensive
11 9.1
cancellation
  • Slang
2 5.2
shaming
4.1
to reprimand
  • Formal
33 6.1
criticism
512 3.0

Surface Forms

lynching singular
lynchings plural

Morphology

lynching = lynch (semi-transparent) = lynch + ing

Formally built from 'lynch' + -ing, but the sense is a figurative extension (public shaming/cancellation) rather than the literal act of killing.

Etymology

Lynching is also used for a very public attack or shaming by a group, especially online, and this use comes from the idea of Lynch law where people punish someone 'without a fair process'. That's why calling an online pile-on a lynching means the person is being punished quickly by the crowd, not by a real trial.