self-censorship

noun

self-cen·​sor·​ship ˌself-ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 

plural self-censorships

: the act or action of refraining from expressing something (such as a thought, point of view, or belief) that others could deem objectionable

What effects does self-censorship have on the accuracy and predictive validity of opinion polls?

—Samuel J. Best and Benjamin Radcliff

If self-censorship were ineffective, direct prohibition would be substituted.

—Raymond Hutchings

self-censor

ˌself-ˈsen(t)-sər 

verb, transitive + intransitive

self-censored; self-censoring; self-censors

She self-censors her language around the children.

I know our interrogators wouldn't want us to answer that question. I feel an overwhelming need to self-censor. "We can't really talk about that," I say.

—Shane Bauer et al.

Examples of self-censorship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The studio wanted to rerelease the old picture to take advantage of Tracy’s burgeoning stardom, and therefore sought to bring it into line with the moral strictures of the Hays Code, a doctrine of self-censorship that Hollywood had adopted to ward off the threat of actual censorship. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024

The institute’s findings are rarely mentioned in the Western media either, through journalists’ ignorance or self-censorship. —Jonathan Steele, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2024

Gallese attributed the decline in studies of mirror neurons to collective fear and self-censorship. —Quanta Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

The effects of self-censorship could also ripple out from Hong Kong to the wider world, Wear said, noting that Western galleries and other arts organizations have rarely contended with restrictive laws of this kind in an art market as big as Hong Kong’s. —Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 30 Mar. 2024

In an interview, Pinker said that her case, along with others, showed that Harvard had become rife with intolerance and self-censorship. —Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024

The report found a high level of self-censorship among journalists due to threats or fear of reprisals by gangs. —Mitchell McCluskey, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

Since May, many comics had revisited their scripts, tweaking their material in a timeworn ritual of self-censorship. —Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said the law will further restrict the media environment, in which self-censorship has become commonplace since the 2020 nationalsecurity law. —Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above