censuring 1 of 2

adjective

as in captious

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censuring

2 of 2

verb

present participle of censure
1
as in reprimanding
to express public or formal disapproval of a vote to censure the President for conduct that was unbecoming to his office

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2
as in denouncing
to declare to be morally wrong or evil our society generally censures the taking of another person's life

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3
as in criticizing
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of critics have striven to outdo each other in censuring that pop novelist's latest work

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of censuring
Verb
The City Council, which is considering censuring the mayor, asked for assistance because the city’s Human Resources director wasn’t available at the time, according to Mayor Pro Tem Tara Graves. — Elijah Megginson, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 As this memoir opens, Iran’s morality police stalk the university where Nafisi works, censuring her female students. — The Atlantic, 14 May 2026 Brown, the lone vote against Martinez’s item, said offering trainings to all councilmembers without mandating it for the mayor and not censuring him absolved Martinez of accountability. — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026 Those choices included censuring and sanctioning me, a military veteran commissioned through CU Boulder, the only Black Regent, and the first Black woman to serve on the board in 43 years. — Wanda James, Denver Post, 13 Jan. 2026 The House voted against censuring Plaskett in a 209-214-3 vote. — Connor Greene, Time, 21 Nov. 2025 But, honestly, Meyers added, he wasn’t bothered by the attack, which is the latest in a line of Truth Social posts Trump has made censuring the comic. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 17 Nov. 2025 This could include sanctioning, censuring or suspending a judge, or recommending a judge be removed from office. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025 In 2023, the House, then run by Republicans, took the extraordinary step of censuring Schiff. — David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for censuring
  1. captious
  2. reprimanding
  3. denouncing
  4. criticizing
  5. hypercritical
  6. condemning
  7. blaming
  8. faulting
Adjective
  • So much of the new sobriety flex is anathema to the captious alcoholics of 12-step groups.
    — Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022
  • That a right-wing party traditionally captious about American patriotism did not react heatedly to evidence of Russian interference in US elections is bizarre.
    — Darryl Pinckney, The New York Review of Books, 5 Nov. 2020
Definition of captious
Verb
  • Her Volumnia bellows at her meek daughter-in-law, Virgilia (Justine Faith) as though reprimanding an incompetent private.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Earlier this week, Scott Agness claimed his press credentials were revoked by the team after his reporting led to the WNBA reprimanding the Fever for not being transparent about Clark’s health status during a game on May 20.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Definition of reprimanding
Verb
  • Bryant then claims that Cunningham's stance on female sports is comparable to Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem or denouncing the Fourth of July as sadistic.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Trump did strike some notes of unity, praising the Secret Service and denouncing political violence.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Definition of denouncing
Verb
  • Restrictions have extended outside the classroom, with some teachers being fired or punished for criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk after his assassination.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In 2022, Cunningham shared a message criticizing the participation of Lia Thomas in women’s college swimming and said athletes should have the opportunity to compete fairly.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticizing
Adjective
  • Wide receiver Mike Evans An 11-time, 1,000-yard receiver needs no token compliments or hypercritical analysis.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 July 2026
  • Drowning in bureaucracy and hypercritical of her colleagues, Santos (Isa Briones) could burn out from frustration and resentment.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of hypercritical
Verb
  • India made similar calls last month, condemning attacks on ships after its nationals were killed.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Target condemns incident On Monday evening, a Target spokesperson released a statement condemning the incident.
    — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of condemning
Verb
  • The Los Angeles County Fire Department and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection released a report blaming the Eaton Fire on electrical arcing events that took place on an out-of-service Southern California Edison (SCE) tower.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Jeanine Pirro after her office moves to drop vandalism charges over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, blaming faulty construction instead.
    — Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • Most earthquakes in North America east of the Rockies, per USGS, occur as faulting within bedrock, usually miles deep.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2026
  • And while criticism of insurance companies was bipartisan, Republicans and Democrats also blamed one another for the crisis, with the GOP faulting Obamacare and Democrats accusing Republicans of using the hearings to deflect from their own inaction to address rising premiums.
    — Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 22 Jan. 2026
Definition of faulting

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Cite this Entry

“Censuring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/censuring. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of censuring for Spanish Speakers

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