censorious

[ sen-sawr-ee-uhs, -sohr- ]

adjective

1. severely critical; faultfinding; carping.

censorious

/ sɛnˈsɔːrɪəs /

adjective

1. harshly critical; fault-finding

Derived Forms

• cenˈsoriousness, noun
• cenˈsoriously, adverb

Other Words From

• cen·sori·ous·ly adverb
• cen·sori·ous·ness noun
• anti·cen·sori·ous adjective
• anti·cen·sori·ous·ly adverb
• anti·cen·sori·ous·ness noun
• noncen·sori·ous adjective
• noncen·sori·ous·ly adverb
• noncen·sori·ous·ness noun
• over·cen·sori·ous adjective
• over·cen·sori·ous·ly adverb
• over·cen·sori·ous·ness noun
• uncen·sori·ous adjective
• uncen·sori·ous·ly adverb
• uncen·sori·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of censorious¹

1530–40; < Latin cēnsōrius of a censor, hence, austere, moral; censor, -tory ¹

Example Sentences

He has also signaled opposition to the censorious “woke” culture that has come to dominate liberal discourse.

From Time

By 2001, the International Center for Human Rights and Democratic Development estimated, China spent $20 billion on censorious telecom equipment every year.

From Ars Technica

Up until the mid-’80s, it looked like these censorious villains would triumph—and also, like today, most of the adult world hid in their homes in Sherman Oaks instead of fighting back.

From The Daily Beast

Additionally, the Court handed a victory to public school student-athletes — and to students generally — who find themselves on the wrong end of overly censorious school administrators.

From Vox

Yet jollity and gloom are still at war in our censorious age.

From The Daily Beast

But amid all the censorious protests against “self-censorship” an important legal principle has been ignored.

From The Daily Beast

After all, here was a babe equipped to face the exigencies of a censorious world; in looks and apparel a credit to any father.

From Project Gutenberg

They judged him by a censorious standard which took no account of genius.

From Project Gutenberg

Yes, and she is a curious being to pretend to be censorious—an awkward thing, without any one good point under the sun.

From Project Gutenberg

He forgot the delicate and uncertain state of his marital affairs, forgot the censorious world, his ennui and doubt and regret.

From Project Gutenberg

The Bishop is especially incensed at the censer; and waxes censorious about the wax lights.

From Project Gutenberg