bowdlerize
Say it: BOHD-luh-rize /ˈbaʊdləraɪz/ · verb
What “bowdlerize” means
Remove supposedly offensive parts of a work, weakening it.
More precisely: To remove material thought offensive from a text, weakening it.
Example: “The airline bowdlerized the film so heavily the plot made no sense.”
When to use it
When criticising edits that remove supposedly offensive material and damage a work's meaning, force or artistic quality.
Similar words
censor, expurgate, sanitise
Where it comes from
From Thomas Bowdler, who published a censored Shakespeare in 1818.
Quick check
An editor removes every rude joke from a comic novel, leaving scenes that no longer make sense. They chose to…
bowdlerize or abridge?
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bowdlerize
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