Comstockery

[ kuhm-stok-uh-ree, kom- ]

/ ˈkʌm stɒk ə ri, ˈkɒm- /

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noun

overzealous moral censorship of the fine arts and literature, often mistaking outspokenly honest works for salacious ones.

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Origin of Comstockery

First recorded in 1895–1900; after A. Comstock + -ery

OTHER WORDS FROM Comstockery

Comstocker, nounCom·stock·i·an, adjective

Words nearby Comstockery

comradely, comradeship, Comrades Marathon, Comsat, Comstock, Comstockery, Comstock Lode, comsymp, comte, comtesse, Comtian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Comstockery in a sentence

"Trilby" is assaulted by the united comstockery of a dozen cities, and "The Yoke" somehow escapes.
A Book of Prefaces|H. L. Mencken
His chapters on the psychology of war hysteria and of comstockery are acute and constructive.
Psychoanalysis|Andr Tridon
There it is in a few words—a complete and perfect treatise on Comstockery!
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 1, March 1906|Various
It is no exaggeration to say that Comstockery is the arch enemy of society.
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 1, March 1906|Various

Is Comstockery to be our best expression of the most vital matter of existence?
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 1, March 1906|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Comstockery

comstockery

/ (ˈkʌmˌstɒkərɪ, ˈkɒm-) /

noun

US immoderate censorship on grounds of immorality

Word Origin for comstockery

C20: coined by G. B. Shaw (1905) after Anthony Comstock (1844–1915), US moral crusader, who founded the Society for the Suppression of Vice

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