Censure, n.
Etymology: [L. censura fr. censere: cf. F. censure. Cf. Censor.]
1. Judgment either favorable or unfavorable; opinion. [Obs.] Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. Shak.
2. The act of blaming or finding fault with and condemning as wrong; reprehension; blame. Both the censure and the praise were merited. Macaulay.
3. Judicial or ecclesiastical sentence or reprimand; condemnatory judgment. Excommunication or other censure of the church. Bp. Burnet.
Syn. -- Blame; reproof; condemnation; reprobation; disapproval; disapprobation; reprehension; animadversion; reprimand; reflection; dispraise; abuse.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Censure, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Censured; p. pr. & vb. n. Censuring.]
1. To form or express a judgment in regard to; to estimate; to judge. [Obs.] "Should I say more, you might well censure me a flatterer." Beau. & Fl.
2. To find fault with and condemn as wrong; to blame; to express disapprobation of. I may be censured that nature thus gives way to loyalty. Shak.
3. To condemn or reprimand by a judicial or ecclesiastical sentence. Shak.
Syn. -- To blame; reprove; rebuke; condemn; reprehend; reprimand.
Censure, v. i.
To judge. [Obs.] Shak.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for censure; he lists it under arraign, condemn, reproof, reprove.
Where he writes about it:
Censure carries the idea of fault, but not of crime; it may be private and individual, or public and official. — from arraign
We may censure silently; we condemn ordinarily by open and formal utterance. — from condemn
Condemn is more final than blame or censure; a condemned criminal has had his trial; a condemned building can not stand; a condemned ship can not sail. — from condemn
Blame, censure, and disapproval may either be felt or uttered; comment, criticism, rebuke, reflection, reprehension, and reproof are always expressed. — from reproof
Reprimand is official censure formally administered by a superior to one under his command. — from reproof
Animadversion is censure of a high, authoritative, and somewhat formal kind. — from reproof
To censure is to pronounce an adverse judgment that may or may not be expressed to the person censured; to reprove is to censure authoritatively, openly, and directly to the face of the person reproved; to rebuke is to reprove with sharpness, and often with abruptness, usually in the midst of some action or course of action deemed censurable; to reprimand is to reprove officially; to blame is a familiar word signifying to pass censure upon, make answerable, as for a fault; blame and censure apply either to persons or acts; reprove and rebuke are applied chiefly, and reprimand exclusively to persons. — from reprove
To reproach is to censure openly and vehemently, and with intense personal feeling as of grief or anger; as, to reproach one for ingratitude; reproach knows no distinction of rank or character; a subject may reproach a king or a criminal judge. — from reprove