bowdlerize

[ bohd-luh-rahyz, boud- ]
See synonyms for: bowdlerizebowdlerization on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),bowd·ler·ized, bowd·ler·iz·ing.
  1. to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

Origin of bowdlerize

1
1830–40; after Thomas Bowdler (1754–1825), English editor of an expurgated edition of Shakespeare
  • Also especially British, bowd·ler·ise .

Other words from bowdlerize

  • bowd·ler·ism, noun
  • bowd·ler·i·za·tion, noun
  • bowd·ler·iz·er, noun
  • un·bowd·ler·ized, adjective

Words Nearby bowdlerize

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How to use bowdlerize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bowdlerize

bowdlerize

bowdlerise

/ (ˈbaʊdləˌraɪz) /


verb
  1. (tr) to remove passages or words regarded as indecent from (a play, novel, etc); expurgate

Origin of bowdlerize

1
C19: after Thomas Bowdler (1754–1825), English editor who published an expurgated edition of Shakespeare

Derived forms of bowdlerize

  • bowdlerization or bowdlerisation, noun
  • bowdlerizer or bowdleriser, noun
  • bowdlerism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012