censure
/ˈsɛn.ʃɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.94 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A judicial or ecclesiastical sentence or reprimand; condemnatory judgment.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Censure, which arraigns the public actions and the private motives of princes, has ascribed to envy, a conduct which might be attributed to the prudence and moderation of Hadrian."
- "Both the censure and the praise were merited."
- "After his actions were challenged by foreign governments and Parliament initially tried to put a stop to his action, Denman returned home and argued his case with enough force that, by 1848, the Royal Navy was handed active permission and encouragement to raze every last slave factory they could find to the ground, and full authority to stop any ship, of any flag, that was thought to be a slaver, with a guarantee with^([sic]) no censure from the government."
- "He that hath past / So many Cenſures is novv come at laſt / To haue your princely Eares, grace you him; […]"
- "[E]xcommunication […] being the chief ecclesiastical censure"
- "Take each man's cenſure, but reſerve thy judgment."
Etymology
From 1350–1400 Middle English censure, from Old French, from Latin censūra (“censor's office or assessment”), from censēre (“to consider, to assess, to value, to judge, to tax, etc.”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *ḱens-, censure, -, censūra
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɛn.ʃɚ/
- British English: /ˈsɛn.ʃə/