self-censorship
noun
self-cen·sor·ship
ˌself-ˈsen(t)-sər-ˌship 
plural self-censorships
: the act or action of refraining from expressing something (such as a thought, point of view, or belief) that others could deem objectionable
What effects does self-censorship have on the accuracy and predictive validity of opinion polls?—
Samuel J. Best and Benjamin Radcliff
Samuel J. Best and Benjamin RadcliffIf self-censorship were ineffective, direct prohibition would be substituted.—Raymond Hutchings
Raymond Hutchings
self-censor
verb, transitive + intransitive
self-censored; self-censoring; self-censors
She self-censors her language around the children.
I know our interrogators wouldn't want us to answer that question. I feel an overwhelming need to self-censor. "We can't really talk about that," I say.
—Shane Bauer et al.
Shane Bauer et al.
Examples of self-censorship in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An American think tank expert described numerous examples of censorship and self-censorship at prominent US institutions.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 22 May 2024
To mollify the Russians, the Finns also practiced self-censorship on a sweeping scale.
—Jussi M. Hanhimäki, Foreign Affairs, 22 May 2024
That section also points up the selectivity of Minnelli’s reminiscences, which seems less the result of self-censorship than of a determination to focus on the positives.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
His increasingly authoritarian turn — with a crackdown on dissent that has created a chilling environment of self-censorship — has pushed India’s vociferous democracy closer to a one-party state, his critics say.
—Pragati K.b. Atul Loke, New York Times, 4 June 2024
The studio wanted to rerelease the old picture to take advantage of Tracy’s burgeoning stardom, and therefore sought to bring it into line with the moral strictures of the Hays Code, a doctrine of self-censorship that Hollywood had adopted to ward off the threat of actual censorship.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
The institute’s findings are rarely mentioned in the Western media either, through journalists’ ignorance or self-censorship.
—Jonathan Steele, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2024
Gallese attributed the decline in studies of mirror neurons to collective fear and self-censorship.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The effects of self-censorship could also ripple out from Hong Kong to the wider world, Wear said, noting that Western galleries and other arts organizations have rarely contended with restrictive laws of this kind in an art market as big as Hong Kong’s.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 30 Mar. 2024
Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 22 May 2024
To mollify the Russians, the Finns also practiced self-censorship on a sweeping scale.
—Jussi M. Hanhimäki, Foreign Affairs, 22 May 2024
That section also points up the selectivity of Minnelli’s reminiscences, which seems less the result of self-censorship than of a determination to focus on the positives.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
His increasingly authoritarian turn — with a crackdown on dissent that has created a chilling environment of self-censorship — has pushed India’s vociferous democracy closer to a one-party state, his critics say.
—Pragati K.b. Atul Loke, New York Times, 4 June 2024
The studio wanted to rerelease the old picture to take advantage of Tracy’s burgeoning stardom, and therefore sought to bring it into line with the moral strictures of the Hays Code, a doctrine of self-censorship that Hollywood had adopted to ward off the threat of actual censorship.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
The institute’s findings are rarely mentioned in the Western media either, through journalists’ ignorance or self-censorship.
—Jonathan Steele, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2024
Gallese attributed the decline in studies of mirror neurons to collective fear and self-censorship.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The effects of self-censorship could also ripple out from Hong Kong to the wider world, Wear said, noting that Western galleries and other arts organizations have rarely contended with restrictive laws of this kind in an art market as big as Hong Kong’s.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-censorship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near self-censorship
Cite this Entry
“Self-censorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-censorship. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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