comstockery: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare / Very LowFormal, Literary, Historical, Occasionally Journalistic
Quick answer
What does “comstockery” mean?
Excessive and overzealous censorship of materials considered to be obscene or immoral, often based on narrow, puritanical standards.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Excessive and overzealous censorship of materials considered to be obscene or immoral, often based on narrow, puritanical standards.
Censorious prudery; rigid opposition to any perceived indecency in literature, art, or public expression, extending to moralistic campaigns against perceived vice.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is of American origin and references a specific US historical figure. It is better known and more likely to be encountered in American historical/political commentary. In British contexts, it is a learned borrowing used to describe analogous puritanical censorship, often with reference to American history.
Connotations
In American usage, it directly evokes a specific period and legal history (Comstock Laws). In British usage, it may be used more broadly or metaphorically for any overly prudish censorship campaign, with less specific historical anchoring.
Frequency
Used extremely rarely in both dialects. Slightly higher recognition in American English due to its historical roots.
Grammar
How to Use “comstockery” in a Sentence
The [noun/gerund] was denounced as Comstockery.They accused the campaign of sheer Comstockery.An act of Comstockery suppressed the publication.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “comstockery” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- [No standard verb form. Periphrastic: 'to engage in Comstockery']
American English
- [No standard verb form. Periphrastic: 'They were accused of comstocking the arts.']
adverb
British English
- [No established adverb form]
American English
- [No established adverb form]
adjective
British English
- The Comstockian mentality prevailed for decades.
- His views were decidedly Comstockian.
American English
- The Comstock-era laws were famously restrictive.
- She faced a Comstockian backlash for her novel.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in historical, literary, cultural studies, or media studies contexts to critique moralistic censorship movements.
Everyday
Extremely unlikely to be used. Would be considered an esoteric or scholarly term.
Technical
Not a technical term in any standard field.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “comstockery”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “comstockery”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “comstockery”
- Using it as a countable noun (e.g., 'a comstockery'). It is generally uncountable.
- Mis-spelling: 'Comstockary', 'Comstockry'.
- Using it to describe mild disapproval rather than organized, censorious moral crusading.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is almost exclusively used pejoratively to criticize censorship viewed as excessive, hypocritical, or rooted in outdated puritanical values. One would not normally use it to describe justified or moderate censorship.
Yes, while historical, it is often used metaphorically to criticize contemporary movements or actions that resemble Anthony Comstock's crusades, such as certain book-banning campaigns or moral panics over media content.
'Puritanism' is a broader term for strict morality and austerity. 'Comstockery' is a specific subset focused on active, often legally enforced, censorship of materials deemed obscene or immoral.
In American English: KAHM-stah-kuh-ree. In British English: KOM-stok-uh-ree. The stress is always on the first syllable.
Excessive and overzealous censorship of materials considered to be obscene or immoral, often based on narrow, puritanical standards.
Comstockery is usually formal, literary, historical, occasionally journalistic in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[None specific to this term]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: COM(e) STOCK(pile) of banned books. 'COMSTOCKery' is like stacking up and banning anything he deemed improper.
Conceptual Metaphor
MORAL PURITY IS CLEANLINESS / IMMORALITY IS FILTH (Comstockery is the compulsive, excessive cleaning/banning of 'dirty' materials).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the BEST example of 'Comstockery' in action?