RED-PENCIL Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

red-pencil

verb

ˈred-ˌpen(t)-səl

Definition of red-pencil

as in to amend

to remove errors, defects, deficiencies, or deviations from the magazine claims that every article is red-penciled by a team of fact checkers before it ever sees the light of print

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to censor

to remove objectionable parts from a television script that had been heavily red-penciled in abject surrender to political correctness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 red-pencil The book is a literary arrangement of sparring between D’Agata and Fingal, consisting of a draft of D’Agata’s text red-pencilled by editors and extensive correspondence between the two writers. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for red-pencil

Verb

Boy employees or those linked to Combs have been stalled, amended, or quietly abandoned.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
If their tax refund was inflated by claiming tax credits that don't apply to them, the taxpayer had to verify their ID first and then amend a return before any federal income tax refund could be issued.

— Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of amend

Verb

The president doesn’t see any disconnect between his big talk on free speech and his attempt to censor or punish the media and his political opposition—and neither, apparently, do many in the Republican Party.

— Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
When Ciara and Brandon’s names were announced, a long bleep was censored on TV.

— Colleen Kratofil, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of censor

Verb

Newsom also signed Senate Bill 186, which would strengthen the current tax incentive program by shortening the payout schedule for cash refunds and increasing the total refundable amount of unused tax credits.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Charging speeds also shortened this round by about five minutes compared with the iPhone 17 Pro series.

— Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of shorten

Verb

His promise to free Jair Bolsonaro is presented not as a rejection of the rule of law but as part of a broader pledge to reform institutions that, in his telling, have exceeded their proper authority.

— Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Her Social Democratic predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, did the same in 2004 after his popularity sank during a drive to reform Germany's welfare system.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of reform

Verb

Notably, the judge’s ruling said, there was no evidence that the department would continue to remedy the violations should oversight to ensure Latinos’ constitutional rights end.

— Yana Kunichoff, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026
Simply apply with a cotton swab or old toothbrush to remedy those sticky, squeaky hinges.

— Emily Hayes, Martha Stewart, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of remedy

Browse Nearby Words

redounds

red-pencil

red-penciled

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Style

“Red-pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/red-pencil. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of red-pencil

verb

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