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ness; fruitlessness; as, the inefficacy of medicines or means. The seeming inefficacy of censures. Bp. Hall. The inefficacy was soon proved, like that of many similar medicines. James Gregory.

An expression which inveighs or rails against a person; a severe or violent censure or reproach; something uttered or written, intended to cast opprobrium, censure, or reproach on another; a harsh or reproachful accusation; -- followed by against, having reference to the person or thing affected; as an invective agains…

A personal satire in writing; usually, malicious and abusive censure written only to reproach and distress. Like her who missed her name in a lampoon, And grieved to find herself decayed so soon. Dryden.

To scold; to berate; to satirize; to censure with severity; as, to lash vice.

A diminution or softening of statement for the sake of avoiding censure or increasing the effect by contrast with the moderation shown in the form of expression; as, " a citizen of no mean city," that is, of an illustrious city.

The god of mockery and censure.

on the day of muster. -- To pass muster, to pass through a muster or inspection without censure. Such excuses will not pass muster with God. South.

One of certain corrupt persons in the early church at Ephesus, who are censured in rev. ii. 6, 15.

Liable to censure; exposed to punishment; reprehensible; blameworthy. "The contrived and interested schemes of ...obnoxious authors." Bp. Fell. All are obnoxious, and this faulty land, Like fainting Hester, does before you stand Watching your scepter. Waller.

ce, to refrain from bestowing notice or attention upon; to neglect; to pass over without censure or punishment; to excuse. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. Acts xvii. 30 (Rev. Ver. ) They overlook truth in the judgments they pass. Atterbury. The pardoning and overlooking of faults. Addison.…

One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one undergoing penance.

imiting by cutting off all that is not absolutely relative to the purpose; as, precisive censure; precisive abstraction. I. Watts.

ng that first which ought to be last; inverted in order. [Obs.] The method I take may be censured as preposterous, because I thus treat last of the antediluvian earth, which was first in the order of nature. Woodward.

ar body or aggregation of people; as, an author's public. The public is more disposed to censure than to praise. Addison.

One who rails; one who scoffs, insults, censures, or reproaches with opprobrious language.

To chide with vehemence; to scold; to censure violently. Spencer. Go, rate thy minions, proud, insulting boy! Shak. Conscience is a check to beginners in sin, reclaiming them from it, and rating them for it. Barrow.

uff. [Obs.] L'Estrange. To be without rebuke, to live without giving cause of reproof or censure; to be blameless.

To cast reproach; to cause censure or dishonor. Errors of wives reflect on husbands still. Dryden. Neither do I reflect in the least upon the memory of his late majesty. Swift.

With reflection; also, with censure; reproachfully. Swift.

Censure; reproach cast. He died; and oh! may no reflection shed Its poisonous venom on the royal dead. Prior.