1. having had potentially offensive or inappropriate content removed or censored, especially from a literary work
Usage: British spelling; literary

Examples

• The bowdlerised version of the play removed all references to violence.
• Many classic novels were bowdlerised for school editions.
• The bowdlerised text was considered suitable for younger readers.
• Critics argued that the bowdlerised adaptation lost much of its original power.
• The library kept both the original and bowdlerised versions of the book.
• Parents preferred the bowdlerised edition for their children’s reading.