1
as in to amend
to remove errors, defects, deficiencies, or deviations from
the magazine claims that every article is red-penciled by a team of fact checkers before it ever sees the light of print
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
a television script that had been heavily red-penciled in abject surrender to political correctness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of red-pencil
The book is a literary arrangement of sparring between D’Agata and Fingal, consisting of a draft of D’Agata’s text red-pencilled by editors and extensive correspondence between the two writers.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for red-pencil
Verb
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The State Water Resources Control Board is considering a petition by the Newsom administration to amend permits so water could be tapped where the tunnel intakes would be built.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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Following public backlash, the agency allowed Moderna to amend its application, splitting its filing by age — standard approval for adults 50 to 64, and accelerated approval for those 65 and up, with a promise to run another trial for that age group after approval.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Iran has its own social media platforms modeled on services like WhatsApp and YouTube, but content is closely monitored and often censored.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The report drew on interviews and surveys asking whether respondents felt censored or had experienced discrimination in Davis.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Beijing has recognized its historical weakness in basic science and has moved aggressively to correct it.—
Imran Khalid,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
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The company has tried for several weeks to correct the information with no luck.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The goal is not to avoid the valley but to shorten the stay.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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While shortening attention spans may be to blame for the shift in literature, Huehls argues that some writers are intentionally engaging with it.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Steam methane reforming accounts for nearly half of the global supply but produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
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State leaders have considered a variety of proposals to address rising costs, from easing property taxes to reforming zoning laws.—
Maxwell Harden,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Packing motion sickness remedies ahead of time is an easy way to avoid scrambling if the ship starts rocking.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Civil Rights Act, which was enacted to remedy a history of denying the right to vote based on race, allows for inspection of voter-registration records but doesn’t overturn state privacy laws, according to civil rights lawyers.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Red-pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/red-pencil. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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