as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
a bowdlerized version of "Gulliver's Travels" that purportedly makes it unobjectionable for children
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Recent Examples of bowdlerize
Congress and the president must counter the forces that seek to diminish, exploit or bowdlerize our understanding of this terrible and confounding un-American event.
—
James Reston Jr., Star Tribune, 29 Mar. 2021
The mobs of students — and their enabling professors and administrators — renaming buildings and bowdlerizing the language are still products of Western civilization.
—Jonah Goldberg, Alaska Dispatch News, 28 Aug. 2017
The Bard gets bowdlerized to musical and comic effect in this touring production of the Broadway hit, in which the Bottom Brothers try to outdo that dude from Stratford-upon-Avon.
—Kerry Reid, chicagotribune.com, 25 May 2017
Maybe there’s a kind of metaphor in there, about how young and spiky verve gets softened and bowdlerized by time spent in the world.
—Richard Lawson, VanityFair.com, 17 Apr. 2017
Prince the raunchy sylph eventually became a Jehovah’s Witness who would bowdlerize his more explicit material in concert.
—John Williams, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2017
James Reston Jr., Star Tribune, 29 Mar. 2021
The mobs of students — and their enabling professors and administrators — renaming buildings and bowdlerizing the language are still products of Western civilization.
—Jonah Goldberg, Alaska Dispatch News, 28 Aug. 2017
The Bard gets bowdlerized to musical and comic effect in this touring production of the Broadway hit, in which the Bottom Brothers try to outdo that dude from Stratford-upon-Avon.
—Kerry Reid, chicagotribune.com, 25 May 2017
Maybe there’s a kind of metaphor in there, about how young and spiky verve gets softened and bowdlerized by time spent in the world.
—Richard Lawson, VanityFair.com, 17 Apr. 2017
Prince the raunchy sylph eventually became a Jehovah’s Witness who would bowdlerize his more explicit material in concert.
—John Williams, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowdlerize
censor
Verb
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Your first warning is when local news, embassy alerts, and travel communications become inconsistent or censored, situational awareness is compromised.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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Still, the web will likely remain heavily censored, experts warned; Tehran is reportedly using Chinese hardware to strengthen its censorship capabilities, further proof that Beijing is exporting the technology that powers its cutting-edge firewall.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bowdlerize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowdlerize. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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