censorious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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anticensoriousadjective
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anticensoriouslyadverb
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anticensoriousnessnoun
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censoriouslyadverb
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censoriousnessnoun
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noncensoriousadjective
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noncensoriouslyadverb
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noncensoriousnessnoun
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overcensoriousadjective
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overcensoriouslyadverb
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overcensoriousnessnoun
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uncensoriousadjective
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uncensoriouslyadverb
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uncensoriousnessnoun
Etymology
Origin of censorious
1530–40; < Latin cēnsōrius of a censor, hence, austere, moral; see censor, -tory 1
Explanation
Censorious, an adjective, describes people who are so critical, they find something wrong in everything. Do not let censorious guests come to your next dinner party! Censorious, pronounced "sen-SOAR-ee-us," comes from the Latin word censura, meaning "judgment." Someone who is censorious judges everyone and everything, ruining everyone's good time with harsh criticisms. The sky is too blue. Your dog is too friendly. The zebra has too many stripes. You get the idea. A censorious person makes others say, "So...is there anything you do like?"
Vocabulary lists containing censorious
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Into Thin Air
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Franny and Zooey
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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.
Censorious matrons are heard gossiping and lamenting about women who do not marry or produce progeny, or think too much of themselves.
From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2019
Censorious tongues passed severe comments on such proceedings.
From Jena or Sedan? by Beyerlein, Franz
Censorious people shook their heads over the Poetical Works of the late Thomas Little, Esq., and it must be allowed that the censure had some justification.
From Thomas Moore by Gwynn, Stephen Lucius
The second Kind of Female Orators are those who deal in Invectives, and who are commonly known by the Name of the Censorious.
From The Spectator, Volume 2. by Addison, Joseph
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
