Comstockery

noun

Com·​stock·​ery ˈkäm-ˌstä-kə-rē How to pronounce Comstockery (audio)
also ˈkəm-
Synonyms of Comstockerynext
1
: strict censorship of materials considered obscene
2
: censorious opposition to alleged immorality (as in literature)

Examples of Comstockery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And to err on the other side — the side of Comstockery — is fine with me. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 7 May 2025 People started using ‘Comstockery’ to make fun of any kind of art or storytelling or writing or politics that was old-fashioned and puritanical. — Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 28 Apr. 2023 That man died in 1915, leaving behind less a legacy and more a joke in the periodic usage of the term Comstockery to denote censorious impulses. — Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Anthony Comstock + English -ery

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Comstockery was in 1905

Rhymes for Comstockery

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Browse Nearby Words

Comstock
Comstockery
Comstockian
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Comstockery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Comstockery. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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