bowdlerized
adjective
bowd·ler·ized
ˈbōd-lə-ˌrīzd 
ˈbau̇d-
: altered to remove or modify elements considered objectionable or potentially offensive
In February PBS advised member stations to air a bowdlerized version of a Frontline documentary about the war in Iraq because the uncut version also had soldiers swearing.—
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik… like all unexpurgated books it is an improvement on the bowdlerized version, if only because it has more sex.—Katha Pollitt
Katha PollittExamples of bowdlerized in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet in their efforts to protect and defend the rights of Muslims, American elites have embraced a bowdlerized version of Islam’s complicated and checkered history in the United States.
—Peter Skerry, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2017
These heavy themes were largely omitted from a bowdlerized and recut American edit of the film that came out two years later.
—Kelsey Atherton, Vulture, 26 July 2023
Not until 1963 was the opera again mounted in Russia, in a bowdlerized version.
—Dallas News, 21 Oct. 2022
Jefferson was famously the Founder who produced a bowdlerized Bible , and presumed that the future of Christianity would be in a heretical Unitarian direction in his personal correspondence.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2012
Yet Brice, knowing all that, still adored him, which makes a far more interesting tale than the bowdlerized one the show offers, of a duped woman finally and regretfully seeing the light.
—New York Times, 24 Apr. 2022
How did a bowdlerized rendering of a marginal psychological pathology come to hold such sway in the humanities—and increasingly in popular discourse as well?
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Peter Skerry, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2017
These heavy themes were largely omitted from a bowdlerized and recut American edit of the film that came out two years later.
—Kelsey Atherton, Vulture, 26 July 2023
Not until 1963 was the opera again mounted in Russia, in a bowdlerized version.
—Dallas News, 21 Oct. 2022
Jefferson was famously the Founder who produced a bowdlerized Bible , and presumed that the future of Christianity would be in a heretical Unitarian direction in his personal correspondence.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2012
Yet Brice, knowing all that, still adored him, which makes a far more interesting tale than the bowdlerized one the show offers, of a duped woman finally and regretfully seeing the light.
—New York Times, 24 Apr. 2022
How did a bowdlerized rendering of a marginal psychological pathology come to hold such sway in the humanities—and increasingly in popular discourse as well?
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near bowdlerized
Cite this Entry
“Bowdlerized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bowdlerized. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share