Comstockery

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

/ ˈkʌm stɒk ə ri, ˈkɒm- /

noun

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

Origin of Comstockery

1900–05; after A. Comstock; see -ery

Related formsCom·stock·er, nounCom·stock·i·an, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for comstockery

His chapters on the psychology of war hysteria and of comstockery are acute and constructive.
Psychoanalysis|Andr Tridon
It is no exaggeration to say that Comstockery is the arch enemy of society.
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 1, March 1906|Various
Besides, the average mother, if she will but admit the truth, is ashamed to talk with her daughter about Comstockery things.
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

By what extraordinary process does Comstockery conjure decency into the stomach and indecency into the bowels?
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

Word Origin and History for comstockery

Comstockery

1905, from Anthony Comstock (1844-1915), founder of New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (1873) and self-appointed crusader against immorality, + -ery. Coined by George Bernard Shaw after Comstock objected to "Mrs. Warren's Profession." "Comstockery is the world's standing joke at the expense of the United States" [Shaw, "New York Times," Sept. 26, 1905]. The Comstock lode, silver vein in Nevada, was discovered 1859 and first worked by U.S. prospector H.T.P. Comstock (1820-1870).