Censorship

/ˈsɛnsərʃɪp/

nounIntermediateCommonLiterature

Definitions

1

The act of suppressing or deleting information considered objectionable or harmful.

/ˈsɛnsərʃɪp/

nounnegativeIntermediate
Literature

The suppression of speech, public communication, or other information.

The country experienced severe censorship during wartime.

💡 Simply: Imagine a gatekeeper for information, deciding what you can and can't see or hear. That's censorship – like a book being banned because someone didn't like it.

👶 For kids: Stopping people from seeing or hearing things someone doesn't want them to know.

More Examples

2

Internet censorship is a growing concern globally.

How It's Used

Government

"The government imposed strict censorship on the media."

Literature

"The novel faced heavy censorship for its controversial themes."

From Latin *censor, meaning 'examiner of the census, official who assessed property and taxes, overseer of public morals'. The modern meaning developed from the power of censors to suppress objectionable material.

Censorship has existed in various forms throughout history, often used by governments to control narratives and suppress dissent.

Memory tip

Think 'sense' and 'ship' – sending out only the information they want you to sense.

censorshipcensorshpcensurship

Usage

20%Spoken
80%Written