blue-penciled

verb

past tense of blue-pencil
as in deleted
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it military censors blue-penciled any remarks that could possibly be deemed critical

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blue-penciled
  1. deleted
  2. canceled
Verb
  • Instead of allowing agents to unlock the phone, the 30-year-old Atlantan gave them a code that deleted the phone’s contents, federal authorities say.
    — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Harris also mentioned a group chat on his Instagram page that included other people associated with the shooting, but the app had been deleted from his phone, the documents say.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of deleted
Verb
  • The franchise was canceled after a 2006 Texas operation in which Rockwall County assistant district attorney Louis Conradt died by suicide as authorities and the show’s crew closed in on his home.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2025 festival was canceled after a day due to a storm.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of canceled
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.

Browse Nearby Words

blue-pencil
blue-penciled
blue-penciling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blue-penciled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blue-penciled. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All