language police
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.90 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any person or group crusading for a particular usage or omission within a language.
Derogatory; Informal; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "the methods and fervor of the self-appointed language police can lead to a rigid orthodoxy -- and unintentional self-parody -- opening the movement to the scorn of conservative opponents and the mockery of cartoonists and late-night television hosts. [...] the utopian world envisioned by the language police would be bought at the expense of the ideals of individualism and democracy articulated in the "The Gettysburg Address": "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.""
- "Students lose out when the language police ignore the distinction between using offensive words and discussing them."