as in captious
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of censuring
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
The inscriptions also reference El, a deity associated with the Abrahamic God, while censuring the ancient pagan goddess Ba`alat.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
The inscriptions also reference El, a deity associated with the Abrahamic God, while censuring the ancient pagan goddess Ba`alat.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for censuring
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
Verb
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Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Indeed, Ye didn’t say much of anything during the two-hour concert beyond a number of reprimanding comments directed at his stage crew.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Both Mexico City and Guadalajara are preparing to host World Cup games in June, with protesters in both cities denouncing the government's failure to properly investigate the disappearances.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The pope has been outspoken against the Middle East conflict, urging peace and denouncing attacks on civilians.—
Ryan Mancini,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The changing telework fight Last year, unions regularly held large rallies opposing the return-to-office order; an anonymous group of state workers erected billboards along Interstate 80 criticizing the governor.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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While the organization hasn’t publicly said so, some have questioned whether the support is partly in retaliation against Cassidy for criticizing Kennedy’s vaccine policy agenda.—
Ali Swenson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Similar political commentary reached the stage at last year’s Glastonbury Festival, where Kneecap and English punk duo Bob Vylan came under fire for leading the audience in chants supporting Palestinians and condemning Israel.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The spike in deaths has rattled the international community, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemning the situation and demanding a thorough inspection of conditions at ICE facilities.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Emirati officials had threatened for years to leave, blaming Opec’s production quotas for unfairly curtailing its oil exports.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
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In 2013, Hall tried (and failed) to replicate the previous magic and his show was cancelled after one season, many blaming tougher competition than before.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Some Havana Syndrome victims have spent more than a decade trying to draw attention to their cases, often faulting the government for failing to provide enough support or access to specialized medical care.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Emond, as Suzanna’s hypercritical mother, puts an Olympic-level spin on her withering observations.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
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After learning the risks and dangers of the Colorado Rockies’ backcountry from a loving but complicated mother, Zach Fisher, a sensitive 12-year-old, joins Bram, his hypercritical father, on a father/son ski trip.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Censuring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/censuring. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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