YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

censorious

Adjective

IPA /senˈsɔːriəs/

Understand it. Say it. Use it.

UNDERSTAND THE WORD

Meaning in plain English

Very ready to criticise other people and find fault with them.

SAY IT ALOUD

Pronunciation

censorious/senˈsɔːriəs/

PICTURE THE IDEA

See the meaning

Compare

A suggestion helps someone improve
A look finds fault with everything

A censorious attitude is excessively ready to criticise.

SEE IT IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Examples in context

Read the examples aloud. Notice how the word fits the sentence, then think of a situation of your own.

She gave my muddy shoes a censorious look.
The censorious tone of the feedback discouraged the trainee.

MAKE IT STICK

Quick word quiz

Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.

Can you recall the word?

Complete the example using the word from this lesson.

She gave my muddy shoes a ________ look.

Show the answer

censorious — Very ready to criticise other people and find fault with them.

Try your own sentence (optional)

Make it yours

Write one sentence using “censorious” about your own life.

Your sentence (optional)

Check your sentence

Does your sentence match this meaning?

Very ready to criticise other people and find fault with them.

Compare: She gave my muddy shoes a censorious look.

Check the spelling and how the word fits the sentence. Your example can be different.

Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.

This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.

Word origin

From Latin censorius, relating to a censor, with the English ending -ous.

Did you know?

Censorious look, tone and attitude describe how criticism is expressed.

Explore related words

Open a word’s lesson when available, or explore entries that use the related term.

Make the word your own

Say the word aloud and read an example sentence.
Write a new sentence about something familiar to you.
Cover the meaning and try explaining the word in your own words.

Continue with the app’s practice check, then try a sentence of your own to mark this word complete.

Practise this word in the app

Completion and saved words stay in this browser on this device.