Bowdlerise
verb /ˈbaʊd.lər.aɪz/ — To expurgate or censor a text by removing offensive content
Definition
To remove material from a text considered improper or offensive — to sanitise, censor, or clean up creative work by excising anything deemed unsuitable. Named after Thomas Bowdler, who famously censored Shakespeare for family audiences.
Beyond the definition
Bowdlerise is what happens when someone decides that other people cannot be trusted with a work as it was made. The word contains the history of its own absurdity: Bowdler wanted Shakespeare suitable for 'the family fireside', which required removing Shakespeare's genius.
Origin & history
Named after Dr Thomas Bowdler (1754–1825), who published 'The Family Shakespeare' (1807), removing anything he considered inappropriate for women and children. The word became a verb for censorious expurgation.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Bowdlerised editions of classic novels strip the books of exactly what made them important.
To bowdlerise is to protect the work from the reader — which usually insults both.
Bowdler thought he was preserving Shakespeare. He was preserving his own discomfort at Shakespeare.
How to use it
This entry uses a verb. Follow the examples for tense and any objects or prepositions it needs.
Choose “Bowdlerise” when the meaning fits your context: To remove material from a text considered improper or offensive — to sanitise, censor, or clean up creative work by excising anything deemed unsuitable. Named after Thomas Bowdler, who famously censored Shakespeare for family audiences.
Synonyms
expurgate, sanitise, censor, clean up
Antonyms
preserve, publish unexpurgated
Related words
Bowdlerise vs expurgate
Bowdlerise often implies a moralizing or over-zealous removal of content. Expurgate is a more technical term for cleaning up text for publication.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Sanitizing for Unity
An adult in a minimalist room arranges objects on a tray.
Curation involves excising elements that don't fit the desired aesthetic, just as bowdlerisation excises content deemed offensive. The goal is a clean, sanitized environment, where the final composition is determined by removing any pieces that disrupt the overall balance.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Bowdlerise" mean?
Bowdlerise is verb meaning: To expurgate or censor a text by removing offensive content. To remove material from a text considered improper or offensive — to sanitise, censor, or clean up creative work by excising anything deemed unsuitable. Named after Thomas Bowdler, who famously censored Shakespeare for family audiences.
Where does the word "Bowdlerise" come from?
Named after Dr Thomas Bowdler (1754–1825), who published 'The Family Shakespeare' (1807), removing anything he considered inappropriate for women and children. The word became a verb for censorious expurgation.