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)
verb (used without object)
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
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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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Othello
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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:
"If the deputies decide to table a motion of censure or no confidence, they are capable of doing so," he added.
From Barron's ● May 24, 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
Ruth Luque, one of the lawmakers who backed the censure measures, said she wanted a leader who would put public interest and security first.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
She ran through the kitchen, ignoring Mama’s and Cook’s yelps of surprise and shouted censure, grabbed the saltshaker off the prep table, and climbed the stairs, her short legs pumping hard up the grand staircase.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
In the statement announcing the removal of the former prince's titles, the Palace said: "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him."
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
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
The article censures an organization whose young clients only achieved 65% of their goals instead of the planned 80%.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2021
He was at last condemned to abjure de levi; received the absolution and censures ad cautelam; and was banished from the capital.
From The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII. by Llorente, Juan Antonio
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
FBI agents at field offices and at headquarters who resisted Gray’s power were censured, fired or transferred.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2025
When a politician is censured, it means a formal statement of disapproval is issued by their party or organisation that condemns their actions or behaviour.
From BBC ● May 16, 2025
With high-stakes testing, a teacher whose students test poorly can be censured or passed over for a raise or promotion.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
“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
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
One of the groups, the Association of Art Museum Directors, also told the museum’s director, Jonathan Canning, that if the university proceeded with the sale, it would consider censuring and sanctioning the museum.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2023
The panel could recommend disbarring him, suspending his D.C. law license or formally censuring him.
From Reuters ● Dec. 15, 2022
The Russians were censuring his behavior in front of his friends and the world press.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
