censor
censor Lexical Profile
censor Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To examine books, films, news, or letters officially and suppress or delete any parts deemed unacceptable, offensive, or politically dangerous.
"Military authorities used to censor soldiers' letters home to prevent sensitive operational details from leaking."
• noun
An official appointed to examine books, films, news, or correspondence and suppress any parts considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.
"The government censor ordered several controversial scenes to be cut before the film could be screened in theaters."
One of two senior magistrates in ancient Rome who conducted the census of citizens, assessed property for taxation, and supervised public morals.
"In the Roman Republic, election to the office of censor was considered the culmination of a distinguished political career."
In psychoanalytic theory, a hypothetical unconscious mechanism that prevents repressed desires or unacceptable thoughts from entering conscious awareness unless disguised.
"According to Freudian theory, the internal censor distorts forbidden impulses so they appear only in symbolic form during dreams."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently confused with the homophone 'censer' (a container in which incense is burned) and the related word 'censure' (to express severe disapproval of someone or something, without necessarily suppressing speech).
• Rhymes for censor
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'censor', the title of an ancient Roman magistrate responsible for maintaining the census and supervising public morals, derived from the verb 'censere' meaning 'to assess or judge'.