censor
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censor¹
- /ˈsɛnsə/ UK
- /ˈsɛnsɚ/ US
Sounds like censer, sensor · Rhymes with -ɛnsə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
The noun is borrowed from Latin cēnsor (“magistrate; critic”), from cēnseō (“to give an opinion, judge; to assess, reckon; to decree, determine”) + -sor (variant of -tor (suffix forming masculine agent nouns)). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱens- (“to announce, proclaim; to put in order”). The English word is cognate with Late Middle English sensour, Proto-Iranian *cánhati (“to declare; to explain”), Sanskrit शंसति (śaṃsati, “to declare”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
noun censors · censour
- One of the two magistrates who originally administered the census of citizens, and by Classical times (between the 8th century B.C.E. and the 6th century C.E.) was a high judge of public behaviour and morality. The Ancient Roman censors were part of the cursus honorum, a series of public offices held during a political career, like consuls and praetors.
- A high-ranking official who was responsible for the supervision of subordinate government officials.
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An official responsible for the removal or suppression of objectionable material (for example, if obscene or likely to incite violence) or sensitive content in books, films, correspondence, and other media.
The headmaster was an even stricter censor of his boarding pupils’ correspondence than the enemy censors had been of his own when the country was occupied.
Similar: censurer
- A college or university official whose duties vary depending on the institution. During his [Theophilus Higgons's] reſidence in the ſaid houſe [Christ Church, Oxford], he was eſteemed a Perſon to be much ſtained with Puritaniſme, and to be violent againſt all ſuch that were ſuſpected to favour the Romiſh See. When he was Cenſor alſo, he was ſo zealous as to ſaw down a harmleſs m
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One who censures or condemns.
Why that character [of the English Revolution] was so peculiar is sufficiently obvious, and yet seems not to have been always understood either by eulogists or by censors.
Similar: censurer
- An algorithm that approves or rejects something on grounds of taste or morality etc. I tried using a dirty word as my user name for the online game, but the censor rejected it.
verb censors · censoring · censored
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To review for, and if necessary to remove or suppress, content from books, films, correspondence, and other media which is regarded as objectionable (for example, obscene, likely to incite violence, or sensitive).
The people responsible for censoring films have seen some startling things in their time.
Similar: bowdlerize, expurgate, expunge, redact · Opposite: decensor
- To partially obscure an observation. Early dropout is one cause of right-censoring.
censor²
- /ˈsɛnsə/ UK
- /ˈsɛnsɚ/ US
Sounds like censer, sensor · Rhymes with -ɛnsə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From an incorrect translation of German Zensur (“censorship”).
noun censors
- A hypothetical subconscious agency which filters unacceptable thought before it reaches the conscious mind.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ban, inspectorate, censorship, inspector, sergeant, examiner, review, spc, blame, censure, decry, admonish, oversight, reproach, inspectors, expurgate
Translations
Every language
noun Ancient Roman magistrate
| Español | censor |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 監察官 kansatsukan, ケンソル kensoru |
| Português | censor |
| Français | censeur |
| Italiano | censore |
| Română | cenzor |
| Русский | це́нзор cénzor |
noun official responsible for removal of objectionable material or sensitive content
| Español | censor, censora, censurador, censuradora |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 검열관 geomyeolgwan |
| 日本語 | 検閲官 ken'etsukan |
| 中文 | 檢查員 /检查员 jiǎncháyuán |
| Português | censor, censora, censurador, censuradora |
| Français | censeur, censeure, censeuse |
| Deutsch | Zensor, Zensorin |
| Italiano | censore |
| Ελληνικά | λογοκριτής logokritís, λογοκρίτρια logokrítria |
| Română | cenzor |
| Русский | це́нзор cénzor |
| עברית | צנזור tzenzor, צנזורית tzenzoryt |
noun one who condemns or censors
| Español | censor, censora, censurador, censuradora |
|---|---|
| Português | censor, censora, censurador, censuradora |
| Deutsch | Zensor, Zensorin |
| Italiano | censore |
| Русский | це́нзор cénzor |
noun algorithm that rejects something
| 日本語 | フィルタリング hwirutaringu |
|---|
verb to review for, and if necessary to remove or suppress, objectionable content
| Español | censurar, expurgar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 검열하다 geomyeolhada |
| 日本語 | 検閲する ken'etsu-suru |
| 中文 | 檢查 /检查 jiǎnchá, 審查 /审查 shěnchá |
| Português | censurar |
| Français | censurer, caviarder |
| Deutsch | zensieren |
| Italiano | censurare |
| Română | cenzura |
| Русский | цензури́ровать cenzurírovatʹ, цензуровать cenzurovatʹ, подверга́ть цензуре podvergátʹ cenzure, просматривать prosmatrivatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | kiểm duyệt |
| עברית | צינזר tzinzer, צִנְזֵר |
noun hypothetical subconscious agency
| Русский | цензу́ра cenzúra |
|---|
Talk about this word "censor." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/censor. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. censor. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/censor "censor." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/censor.Cite this
@misc{censor_2026,
title = {censor},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/censor},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
