cancel culture

Definitions

The cultural phenomenon of publicly shaming, rejecting, and ceasing to provide support to people, companies, stores, etc. that are deemed unacceptable, and calling on others to boycott them.

derogatory, neologism, often, uncountable

Equivalents

8 more languages

Italianocancel culturecultura del boicottaggiocultura della cancellazione

日本語キャンセルカルチャー

ქართულიგაუქმების კულტურაქენსელ-კულტურა

한국어취소문화

Nederlandscancelcultuur

Portuguêscultura do cancelamento

Русскийкультура отмены

Svenskakränkthetskulturutfrysningskulturutraderingskultur

Examples

“With roots in Black Twitter, cancel⟳ culture is an unavoidable mainstay of our infotainment age. In an era of too much everything—TV, opinions, news—we’ve come⟳ to rely⟳ on a vocabulary of consolidation: likes, tweets, emoji. Cancel⟳ culture is one of these argots—a governor, a self-regulatory device I have⟳ come⟳ to wield with pride (if infrequent recklessness). In the collective, the gesture is absolute: we can’t. We’re done. And so we asphyxiate support⟳ from a notable cause or figure⟳. Roseanne Barr referred to Valerie Jarrett as an ape? Cancelled. Harvey Weinstein was outed as a sexual predator? Cancelled.”

“In the past, we dismissed people and institutionalized doing so as law and unwritten laws. Today, I fear that we are making dismissing people the cool thing to do with “cancel⟳ culture.””

“An unfair journalistic hit has now cost⟳ a capable attorney his job. It’s absurd. Cancel⟳ culture has reared its ugly head ... again.”

“"[…] Many students have⟳ adopted the posture of cancel⟳ culture, preventing people they don’t agree⟳ with from speaking,” Mr. Finkielkraut told me last⟳ month.”

“One of their political weapons is cancel⟳ culture, driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees.”

“In a statement condemning “cancel⟳ culture,” Stewart warned taking down the monument would set⟳ a bad precedent.”

CEFR level