Bowdlerize

To bowdlerize means to remove or alter passages considered indecent, offensive, or otherwise objectionable from a text, book, or other form of artistic expression. This practice is often carried out with the intention of making the work more suitable for a particular audience, such as children, or to conform to prevailing social or moral standards. The aim is to sanitize the content, sometimes resulting in a less impactful, or even distorted, version of the original work. The term is derived from Thomas Bowdler, who published an expurgated edition of Shakespeare's works in 1818.

Bowdlerize meaning with examples

• The film studio decided to bowdlerize the script, removing scenes depicting graphic violence and sexual content to secure a 'PG-13' rating and appeal to a wider audience. The director was frustrated, feeling that the cuts compromised the film's artistic integrity and diminished its emotional impact, but they went ahead anyway.
• Many classic children's books were bowdlerized in earlier editions to remove elements that might be considered frightening or morally dubious. Fairy tales, in particular, often underwent significant revisions, leading to a sanitized version of the original darker stories, and were rewritten to make them age-appropriate.
• During the censorship period, some state-owned media houses had a practice to bowdlerize content from foreign news outlets, removing any criticism of the ruling party or information considered detrimental to the national interest. This restricted the public's access to uncensored news and limited freedom of expression.
• When preparing the novel for a new audience, the editor decided to bowdlerize the language, replacing profanity and crude expressions with more polite synonyms. While preserving the plot, the change aimed to reach a more mainstream audience by limiting the exposure to potentially offensive language.
• The school board voted to bowdlerize the assigned reading list, removing a novel dealing with controversial social issues, after receiving complaints from parents about the book's potential to upset or offend students. This controversial decision sparked debate about censorship, academic freedom, and parental rights.