censure
Americannoun
-
strong or vehement expression of disapproval.
The newspapers were unanimous in their censure of the tax proposal.
- Synonyms:
- animadversion, stricture, reprimand, rebuke, reprehension, reproach, reproof, condemnation
- Antonyms:
- praise
-
an official reprimand, as by a legislative body of one of its members.
- Antonyms:
- praise
verb (used with object)
-
censures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
censured,
past participle, past
-
censuring
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
censures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
censured,
past participle, past
-
censuring
present participle
noun
verb
Usage
What does censure mean? Censure is passionate or intense criticism, as in Many countries were united in their censure of the nation responsible for the nuclear disaster. Censure can also refer to an official condemnation or reprimand, especially by a legislative body to one of its members, as in The lawyer’s terrible conduct earned him a censure from the judge. As a verb, censure means to intensely and harshly criticize something, as in The governor was censured by the media for his incredibly poor handling of the state’s hurricane response. Censure could be confused with the similarly spelled words censer, censor, and sensor. A censer is a container that holds burning incense. A censor is a person who looks for unacceptable or immoral material in media or creative works. A sensor is a device that sends a signal in reaction to environmental conditions. Example: The musician faced intense censure from other artists after stealing melodies and their career never recovered from the backlash.
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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censurernoun
-
supercensurenoun
-
miscensureverb
-
precensureverb (used with object)
-
censurelessadjective
-
procensureadjective
-
uncensuredadjective
-
uncensuringadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
censuresimple
-
censuressimple
-
have censuredperfect
-
has censuredperfect
-
am censuringprogressive
-
are censuringprogressive
-
is censuringprogressive
-
have been censuringperfect progressive
-
has been censuringperfect progressive
Past
-
censuredsimple
-
had censuredperfect
-
was censuringprogressive
-
were censuringprogressive
-
had been censuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of censure
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cēnsūra censor's office, assessment, equivalent to cēns ( us ) past participle of cēnsēre ( see censor) + -ūra -ure
Explanation
Censure is a noun referring to very strong criticism; the verb means to criticize very strongly. If you take your dad's car without telling him, you can expect him to censure you severely, and maybe even ground you as well. The noun and verb are most closely associated with official expressions of disapproval, as when Congress censures a senator. The noun is from Latin cēnsūra, "censorship," from cēnsor, "an ancient Roman censor." The job of a Roman censor was to take the census and to supervise public morals and behavior. Our English word censor — which means to suppress speech or other forms of expression — is from this Latin word.
Vocabulary lists containing censure
Grade 11, List 1
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Animal Farm
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
While Pastef's majority in the National Assembly can censure the government, in the event of a deadlock the president can resort to "exceptional powers" to govern by decree for three months, noted Diallo.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Noem was the public face of that disapproval, strutting forward with arrogance in the face of public censure, a veritable clown show of ineptitude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
Fine has not appeared fearful of censure or any loss of his committee assignments.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
Meanwhile, Hegseth announced he would open retirement-grade determination proceedings against Kelly and issue a formal letter of censure.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
The censure of her family was like a hard shell under which she found a certain freedom.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
"These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him," the statement continued.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
It still demands collusion, censures dissent, confuses the exertion of power with the protest against it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
Gorsuch said that didn’t mean all censures are alike, and that such condemnation sometimes might not be acceptable, depending upon the recipient.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2022
He said he generally also does not favor censures.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 4, 2022
Ecclesiastical censures cannot be employed to defend the said jurisdiction.—QUALIFICATION.
From The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII. by Juan Antonio Llorente
The committee can take a wide range of actions if it substantiates the allegations in an investigation, including recommending that a member be reprimanded, censured or removed, or referring the conduct to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Emilia, by contrast, is a strikingly modern figure in her cynical assessments of the hypocrisy of a culture that will deride women for sexual behavior that wouldn’t be censured in men.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
It’s infrequent that a judge is publicly or privately censured.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2025
They subsequently won back their seats in special elections, while a third legislator, state Rep. Gloria Johnson, was censured but not expelled.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2025
For this he was censured in the Senate by Fabius Maximus, who called him the corruptor of the Roman army.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
“If it takes collective action…it does so at the price of censuring any minority who do not agree with the view adopted.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
In an exactly split tally, half of voting members supported censuring Block, but the measure did not pass because it required a simple majority.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024
But make no mistake about its significance: Parliament censuring a man who was prime minister as recently as September in the strongest possible terms.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2023
For decades after, Congress reconvened only intermittently to take pressing post-election actions, like censuring Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954 and impeaching President Bill Clinton in 1998, or to resolve particular legislative debates.
From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2022
“I would wish not to be hasty in censuring any one; but I always speak what I think.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
