Meaning & use
uncensured
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableformalrare
Not criticized or blamed by anyone; receiving no official expression of disapproval.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb such as be or go, or before a noun: the plan went uncensured.
Patterns
- go uncensured
- remain uncensured
- be uncensured by someone
Her decision to leave early went uncensured, since everyone knew why she had to go.
The report remained uncensured by the committee, which surprised the journalists waiting outside.
adjectivenot comparableformalrare
Not formally punished or publicly condemned by an authority or a governing body.
Grammar: Often used in legal or political writing about people or acts that escape official blame.
Patterns
- leave something uncensured
- escape uncensured
The minister's remarks escaped uncensured, even though several MPs had demanded an apology.
Under the old rules, such conduct could pass uncensured for years.
Common combinations
- go uncensured
- The awkward question went uncensured at the meeting.
- remain uncensured
- His conduct remained uncensured throughout the inquiry.
- escape uncensured
- The error escaped uncensured because nobody checked the figures.
- pass uncensured
- Several rude comments passed uncensured during the debate.
- leave something uncensured
- The board left the manager's behavior uncensured.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unrebuked
- Very close in meaning, but it usually suggests a person was not scolded, whereas uncensured can also describe an action or a report.
- unpunished
- Use this when the focus is on the absence of a penalty rather than the absence of criticism.
- unscathed
- This means not harmed, not merely not criticized, so it fits physical or reputational damage better.
Opposites
Word family
- censure verb
- to criticize someone strongly and officially
- censure noun
- strong official criticism or blame
- censurable adjective
- deserving to be criticized or blamed
Commonly confused: uncensured or uncensored?
uncensured vs uncensored
Uncensored means no parts have been removed from a text, film or report; uncensured means nobody has criticized it.
Practice
The committee decided to let the chairman's remarks ______, which angered the opposition.
Choose one answer.
'Go uncensured' means the remarks were left without criticism, which matches the anger of the opposition. 'Go uncensored' would mean nothing was cut from the remarks, which is a different idea.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “uncensured”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.