Skip to main content
Comstockery

Comstockery

9.9
Banning books and art because people think they are immoral or offensive
  • noun
  • /ˌkɑːmˈstɑːkəri/
  • US
translation icon : Comstockery
  • I am referring to the sort of Comstockery that led to the Antioch rules

Examples

  • Many writers have faced Comstockery when their works were banned for being too provocative.

  • The government's attempts at Comstockery aimed to restrict access to controversial literature.

  • Comstockery often evokes debates about the limits of free expression in the arts.

Synonyms

censorship
vsComstockery
119 4.8

A system that removes parts of books, films or news that people find harmful

is focused on banning items deemed obscene or morally improper
suppression
vsComstockery
7 7.2

Stopping a book or article from being published

focuses on stopping publication because material is seen as obscene or immoral
censoring
vsComstockery
3 6.9

Stopping parts of speech or writing that people find offensive

is done because material is thought obscene or morally wrong
Bowdlerism
vsComstockery
  • Literature
9.9

Removing parts of a book or film that people find offensive

targets content judged obscene or immoral for moral reasons

Antonyms

127 3.9

The act of setting people free from control or unfair treatment

89 2.7

The right to say what you think without fear of government punishment

How Censorious

repression
45 7.2
Comstockery
  • US
9.9
censorship
119 4.8
moralism
2 8.1
moderation
47 3.5
tolerance
160 3.7

Surface Forms

Comstockery singular
Comstockeries plural

Morphology

Comstockery = Comstock (semi-transparent) = Comstock + ery

Formed from the proper name Comstock plus the productive noun-forming suffix '-ery' denoting practices or tendencies; understanding the reference requires knowledge of the historical person.

Etymology

Comstockery is named after a man called Comstock who, in the late 1800s, worked hard to ban books and art he called 'obscene'. So Comstockery means strict censorship or the practice of forbidding works because someone finds them morally wrong.