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
  • Instead of reprimanding his pet, Linnetz seems to recognize the moment as a potentially good shot.
    — Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The audience awkwardly chuckles, and Scovel, eyes still closed, begins reprimanding them.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of reprimanding
Verb
  • If the main predictor of racial disparities in prison is poverty, then denouncing police and prosecutors as racist won't shrink those gaps.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Before entering politics, Correa published papers denouncing dollarization and sketched a plan to unwind it.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of denouncing
Verb
  • Multiple Republicans brought up Bottoms during the debate when criticizing their GOP opponent.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Raman brought up Gates briefly while criticizing the mayor over the Los Angeles Police Department’s handling of federal immigration enforcement during Tuesday night’s debate.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 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
  • The brazen, unmasked calls to erase Israel triggered fierce bipartisan backlash from lawmakers condemning the rising wave of open extremism.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Reddit users have been posting about the problem, and condemning Sega and the game’s developer, Creative Assembly.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of condemning
Verb
  • No commercial goods have entered the Gaza Strip for two days, Israeli authorities said Thursday, blaming the suspension on merchants angered by taxes imposed by the militant group Hamas — a claim that Palestinian importers deny.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Guillard would go on to upload hundreds of videos blaming the professor, raking in millions of views.
    — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • The teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, in a memo to school board members, presented a counter interpretation and said the state team exaggerated the crisis and was implicitly faulting justified wage increases.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • These features are interpreted as evidence of faulting along the caldera rim as the floor subsided.
    — Yook Ji Hun, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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