To censure is to express formal disapproval — a committee censures a member. To censor is to suppress or remove material considered unacceptable. One is a public reprimand, the other is deletion, and they are frequently swapped in reporting.
The core difference
Both concern disapproval, but only one removes anything.
- censure — formal condemnation: a motion to censure the minister.
- censor — suppress or cut: the passage was censored. Also a noun: the person who does it.
Why the mix-up matters
Writing that a body "censored" a member when it censured them alleges suppression rather than criticism — a materially different claim, and in political reporting a significant one. A censure leaves the speech intact and objects to it; censorship removes it.
The roots
Both from Latin censere, to assess. The Roman censor conducted the census and also supervised public morals, which is where the modern suppressing sense comes from. Censure kept closer to the assessing-and-judging sense.
Frequently asked questions
Which one means to remove material?
Censor. To censure is to criticise formally.
Is a censure a punishment?
It is a formal expression of disapproval. It carries no removal of anything and often no sanction beyond the statement itself.
Are the words related?
Yes. Both come from Latin censere, to assess — via the Roman censor, who ran the census and oversaw public morals.