Meaning & use
thought policing
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Meaning
noununcountableinformaldisapproving
the practice of trying to control what people are allowed to think or say, especially by criticizing or punishing certain opinions
Grammar: Uncountable; used with a singular verb. Often appears in phrases like 'thought policing' or 'act of thought policing'.
Patterns
- thought policing of something
- accuse someone of thought policing
The new social media rules have been criticized as a form of thought policing.
Some students complained that the university's speech code was thought policing.
He argued that thought policing has no place in a free society.
Common combinations
- accuse someone of thought policing
- Critics accused the government of thought policing after it banned certain books.
- a form of thought policing
- The policy was seen as a form of thought policing by many citizens.
- engage in thought policing
- Some moderators engage in thought policing by removing comments they disagree with.
- thought policing of speech
- The law was condemned as thought policing of speech on campus.
Synonyms and how they differ
- censorship
- Censorship is the official suppression of material, while thought policing is more about controlling opinions and can be informal or social.
- mind control
- Mind control suggests a more extreme, often fictional or psychological manipulation, whereas thought policing is usually about social pressure or rules.
Opposites
Commonly confused: thought policing or policing?
thought policing vs policing
Policing alone refers to the work of police officers; thought policing is a figurative phrase about controlling ideas.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'thought policing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'thought policing' as an uncountable noun meaning controlling opinions. Option 1 confuses it with actual police work. Option 2 treats it as a method of physical safety, which is wrong. Option 3 uses it as a verb, but it is a noun phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thought policing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.