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
Two Republicans voted against censuring Edwards, despite the recommendation. — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026 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
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
  • The audience awkwardly chuckles, and Scovel, eyes still closed, begins reprimanding them.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of reprimanding
Verb
  • House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was blindsided on Tuesday when two members of his caucus voted with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to put a resolution denouncing socialism on the floor for a full vote.
    — Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
  • And other Democrats, especially those from Coupang’s home state, Washington, have joined their Republican colleagues in denouncing South Korea’s posture toward the company.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of denouncing
Verb
  • Republican lawmaker Carl DeMaio of San Diego has vocalized his opposition in discussions of the bill, criticizing the idea of providing funding to outlets that make political endorsements.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Yiannopoulos rose to prominence through his provocative statements criticizing political correctness, feminism and Islam.
    — Chris Arnold, NPR, 29 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
  • Public monuments condemning slavery have been removed, and Confederate names have been restored to Army bases.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the dispute quickly escalated into a reputational crisis for the biennale, with artists from Taiwan and China condemning the name change as a betrayal of its founding ideals.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of condemning
Verb
  • Vucic last week accused the West and The Hague tribunal of blaming only Serbs for the crimes and bringing no justice for the Serb victims.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Heaping credit onto Espada is dangerous, but so is blaming him for every game that goes awry.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • Wiener defended the narrower bill and argued opponents were faulting it for not going far enough rather than focusing on what the bill would do.
    — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers believe this may have been a reactivation of faulting in the prehistoric rocks beneath the monocline.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of faulting

Browse Nearby Words

censures
censuring
census
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Cite this Entry

“Censuring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/censuring. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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