anticensorious
|an-ti-cen-sor-i-ous|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tɪ.senˈsɔr.i.əs/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪ.senˈsɔːr.i.əs/
against censorship
Etymology
'anticensorious' is formed in modern English by combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') with the adjective 'censorious' (from English 'censorious', relating to censure or criticism).
'censorious' derives from 'censor', itself from Latin 'censor' (the Roman official) and the verb 'censere' meaning 'to assess, judge'. 'censor' passed into Middle English via Old French; 'censorious' developed in Early Modern English, and 'anti-' was later prefixed in modern usage to create 'anticensorious'.
Originally related to 'censor' in the sense of judging or assessing; over time 'censorious' came to mean 'habitually fault-finding or inclined to censure', and 'anticensorious' came to mean 'against such censorship or censoriousness' and, by extension, 'not censorious'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
opposed to censorship; hostile to the practice or principle of censoring speech, publications, or other forms of expression.
The editorial took an anticensorious position, arguing that even offensive works should not be suppressed.
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Adjective 2
not censorious; not given to harsh moral criticism — describing a tolerant or lenient attitude toward others' faults or expressions.
Her anticensorious manner made her a welcome judge of experimental art.
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Last updated: 2025/08/28 11:49