First Known Use: 1536
Dictionary
censorious
adjective cen·so·ri·ous \sen-ˈsȯr-ē-əs\
: having or showing a tendency to criticize someone or something severely : very critical
Full Definition of CENSORIOUS
: marked by or given to censure <censorious comments> <a censorious critic>
— cen·so·ri·ous·ly adverb
— cen·so·ri·ous·ness noun
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Origin of CENSORIOUS
Latin censorius of a censor, from censor
Synonym Discussion of CENSORIOUS
critical, hypercritical, faultfinding, captious, carping, censorious mean inclined to look for and point out faults and defects. critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly <a critical essay>. hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards <hypercritical disparagement of other people's work>. faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament <a faultfinding reviewer>. captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds <a captious critic>. carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws <a carping editorial>. censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory <the censorious tone of the review>.
Rhymes with CENSORIOUS
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