The stunt earned her the scorn of her censorious older sister. I was surprised by the censorious tone of the book review.

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, to current and former staffers, the scrubbing of the Mouw and Graves-Fitzsimmons columns became an example of censorious overreach by an inexperienced publisher and an overzealous board. Sarah Jones, The New Republic, "Inside the Spectacular Implosion of Religion News Service," 27 Apr. 2018

Perhaps the censorious tone is exaggerated by the translation from the German original, but I was left wondering whether Brunner actually likes birds, bird people, or even people in general. Richard O. Prum, New York Times, "The Passion and Peril of Birding," 23 Jan. 2018

But as Xiomara wrestles to embrace her independence and nascent sexuality in the face of a censorious, extremely religious mother, The Poet X eventually reveals itself as a rhythmic literalization of a young woman finding her voice. Constance Grady, Vox, "We read all 25 National Book Award finalists for 2018. Here’s what we thought.," 15 Nov. 2018

Andrea, by contrast, keeps her own feelings at arm’s length while permitting herself to slink around with him, out of view of her censorious and gossip-loving friends. Christine Sneed, New York Times, "She’s Here, She’s Queer, She’s Figuring Out What That Means," 11 Apr. 2018

But other Protestant intellectuals broke with the censorious mind-set. Linda Gordon, The New Republic, "How birth-control leaders found allies in American religious groups," 5 Apr. 2018

His entourage gathered around the book for a long moment, until Mr. Boyega wrinkled his nose and ran a censorious finger along the image of his untidy hairline. Ben Widdicombe, New York Times, "How John Boyega Went From ‘Star Wars’ Stormtrooper to Sci-Fi Producer," 28 Feb. 2018

Last year, Ajit Pai, head of the Federal Communications Commission, cited the censorious nature of tech companies as a reason to revoke net neutrality. Bloomberg.com, "Google Should Be Worried About This Possible Missouri Lawsuit," 8 Mar. 2018

ROME— Pope Francis chastised Vatican bureaucracy to its face on Thursday, bringing a censorious end to a year in which tensions between the pontiff and senior officials spilled out into the open. Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, "Pope Decries ‘Cancer’ of Plotting and Pride in Vatican," 21 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'censorious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.