bowdlerise

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A form of bowdlerize — To remove or alter those parts of a text considered offensive, vulgar, or otherwise unseemly.

Similar
bowdlerizeexpurgatecastrateshorten
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

bowdlerise1

verbbowdlerise (third-person singular simple present bowdlerises, present participle bowdlerising, simple past and past participle bowdlerised)

present singular third person bowdlerises · participle present bowdlerising · participle past bowdlerised · past bowdlerised

  1. BritishNon OxfordNon-Oxford British form of bowdlerize.

Bowdlerise2

verbBowdlerise (third-person singular simple present Bowdlerises, present participle Bowdlerising, simple past and past participle Bowdlerised)

present singular third person Bowdlerises · participle present Bowdlerising · participle past Bowdlerised · past Bowdlerised

  1. alternativeAlternative form of bowdlerize.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbedit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate

Similar
bowdlerizeexpurgatecastrateshorten
Broader
abridgeforeshortenabbreviate
Also see
bowdlerizecastrateexpurgateshorten

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

bowdlerise · verb

From Bowdler + -ise.

Full word history & related roots →

Bowdlerise · verb

From Bowdler + -ise.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bowdlerise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowdlerise

MLA

“bowdlerise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowdlerise. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bowdlerise,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowdlerise.

Source: bowdlerise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.