Language ArtsHave trouble remembering the difference between "censor" and "censure"? Blame the Romans! The censors were two high-ranking magistrates with a role in the governance of Rome intermittently for more than 400 years, from B.C. 443 - B.C. 22. Keep reading to learn more.


The Roman censors had three areas of duties: the administration of the census; the regimen morum or the oversight of public and private life; and financial administration of Rome, including the property tax collected on the basis of the census, but extending to other revenues, and the expenditure of public moneys as well.

Most people who are aware of the Roman census and the tax arising from it know it not from Roman history but from this source:

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (Luke 2:1)

But it is the second area of the censors' duties that we are concerned with here. The censors were - at the height of their power - empowered to judge the way people behaved and to punish them for transgressions which they solely, but in tandem, judged. The (male) citizens of Rome were ranked, and it was up to the censors whether they had comported themselves in a way that meant they deserved to keep their rank.

If the censors found a citizen wanting - perhaps for behaving improperly towards his family, living in too luxurious a style, neglect of his fields, defrauding orphans, or engaging in an disreputable trade - they could, at their sole discretion but only if both censors agreed, censure the person. This censure could take a variety of forms, including demotion of rank, exclusion from the senate, exclusion from the list of tribes or transfer to a less prestigious tribe, public reprimand, or - in the case of the knight class - they could take the horse away from an eques.

Censor

Today, as well as referring to the historic censors of Rome, the noun censor can mean

  • a person given authority to examine material in order to ensure that moral or political standards are met;
  • an official of the armed forces who ensures that mail and other communications do not create a security risk or reveal secret information; or
  • a mechanism of the unconscious that is the agent of censorship in the psyche.

Here are examples:

The censor found that the movie did not contain any problematic material.

The minor omissions in the letter suggested that the censor had found Sgt. Lewis's comment a bit too revealing, but for the most part, the contents were intact.

So, do you mean that its my own internal censor that is responsible for the repression of my memories of the accident?

Censor can also be a transitive verb meaning “to review, removing objectionable material.” Here is an example:

As she read the news story to her little girl, the mother censored material that was not age-appropriate.

Censor is pronounced /sehn SUHR/.

Censure

Censure is both a noun and a transitive verb. As a noun, censure can mean “a condemnation” or “an official reprimand.” Here are examples:

After the group of students trashed the school cafeteria, what did they expect from the principal but censure?

The state legislature endorsed a censure of the senator whose judgment in handling public funding was so poor.

As a transitive verb, censure can mean “to severely criticize” or “to officially disapprove.” Here are examples:

The principal censured the students who destroyed property in the cafeteria, but praised the group of student volunteers who organized and carried out the clean up.

When he was censured, the senator said it was the most difficult day of his life.

Censure is pronounced /sehn SHUHR/.

Distinguishing Censor and Censure

One way to remember which of the two words censor and censure is the person, and which is the action is the make the following association:

The word censor has six letters. The first vowel is e and the second is o, and each vowel is in the center of its syllable. Likewise, the word person has six letters. The first vowel is e and the second is o, and each vowel is in the center of its syllable. The word person does not form this kind of match with censure. Therefore, censor is the person.

To help you remember the pronunciation difference, notice that censure has the word sure within it - and the /sh/ sound with which sure begins. Censor, on the other hand, has an internal /s/ not /sh/.