Censurer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who examines and suppresses objectionable content, or one who expresses severe disapproval or criticism
2. An individual who evaluates and often condemns the content or actions of others with severity
3. Someone who looks over material or behavior and offers strong disapproval based on strict standards

Etymology: The word "censurer" is simply "censure" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning "one who censures." The suffix has a long ancestry: it descends from Latin "-arius," which marked a person connected with a trade or role, and it passed into English through Old French "-ier" (in the Middle English period, "-er" by then), so the same ending that turns "bake" into "baker" also produces "censurer." The base word, "censure," arrived in English from Old French and traces back to Latin "censura," meaning the office or judgment of a Roman censor. The Roman censor was a magistrate who assessed citizens and their conduct, so criticism and moral judgment were built into the idea from the start. "Censurer" is therefore an ordinary English formation, and its meaning follows directly from the judgment sense of "censure."

Synonyms: critic, condemner, rebuker, denouncer

Antonyms: supporter, defender, advocate, champion