Vocabulary in context
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Censure
To express strong disapproval of (someone or something); to condemn or rebuke, typically in a formal or official manner.
verb💡
Imagine This
Imagine a city council meeting where a mayor is accused of ethical misconduct. The council votes to censure the mayor, and a formal rebuke is read aloud, followed by a plan for corrective action.
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Sounds Like
SEN-shər
👀
Looks Like
visually similar to 'censor'
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Remember This
Censure is a formal expression of disapproval, not necessarily a removal from office. It is different from censorship (the suppression of speech or information). In many political or organizational settings, a censure serves as an official rebuke rather than a punishment that removes duties.
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Other Forms
censurenoun
censuresverb
censuredverb
censuringverb
censurernoun
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Note
Do not confuse censure with censor. Censure is disapproval or condemnation; censoring is restricting or suppressing content. The verb forms are censures, censured, censoring; the noun form is censure.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The Senate censured the ambassador for misconduct.
- The school board censured the teacher for repeated violations of district policy.
Synonyms
reproverebukecondemndecryreprimanddisapprove
Antonyms
praisecommendapproveendorse
Etymology
From Latin censura 'judgment, assessment' from censere 'to assess, to judge'.
Mnemonic
CENSURE sounds like SEN-cher. Imagine a judge at a podium saying 'I censure this action'—a formal, official rebuke. The familiar 'sen-' root helps recall the sense of a formal judgment.
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nounA system in which people or things are arranged according to rank or authority; a graded order of importance or power.
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adjectiveHaving a harmful, destructive, or deadly effect, especially over a long period or in a subtle way.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Condemn
verbTo express strong disapproval of something or someone, and to declare them unfit, wrong, or deserving of punishment; in a legal sense, to sentence a person to punishment.
Decry
verbTo publicly condemn or denounce something; to express strong disapproval of a policy, action, or idea.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
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