1
Core meaning
Strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
Example
The committee issued a formal censure of the official.
censure
/ˈsenʃə/ · SEN-shurnoun
Strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
Use censure to express this relationship precisely: strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
What censure Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common noun frame
Use this noun in a complete noun phrase, adding the complement that identifies what it refers to when needed.
Example
Public censure did not persuade the company to change.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact concept matters; a related term may describe its cause, evidence, or opposite instead.
Example
The violation exposed the agency to official censure.
Use censure Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The committee issued a formal censure of the official.
Public censure did not persuade the company to change.
The violation exposed the agency to official censure.
Precision Matters
Censure overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
censure
vs.Means strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
denounce
Means publicly condemn or speak out strongly against someone, something, or an action.
censure
vs.Means strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
critique
Means a careful analysis and evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, and assumptions of a work or idea.
censure
vs.Means strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
disdain
Means a feeling that someone or something is unworthy of respect; scorn or contempt.
censure
vs.Means strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
extol
Means praise someone or something enthusiastically and publicly.
Test censure in Context
The noun names formal and forceful disapproval.
1
The board expressed its strongest ___ after discovering that the safety data had been concealed.