An adjective for “censorship” when it is really strong

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The government censors 80 percent of websites. In this country the Internet
censorship is quite ....?




I have several things in mind but the best to me seem to be "drastic", "intense", "high". What would be an idiomatic option?










share|improve this question

















  • 2




    Oh, I see now. You’re not looking for a word for censorship, the blank is at the end of your quoted passage. You want a general word for severity. Ok, how about draconian? Fits the context nicely.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago






  • 3




    Idiomatic, I think, is a red herring. It’s perfectly natural, but it’s not a set phrase or common pairing. For your purpose, you don’t want a common pairing; you want to make an impact. To use some hackneyed phrase would be counterproductive. It’s an intensifier (in the vernacular not grammatical sense) here. And yes, draconian carries connotations of extreme and bureaucratic overreach. For that reason, it’s often applied to government actions or in related contexts. Worth looking up the etymology, btw, really interesting.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That said, if you’re really after the most common collocations for “adj censorship”, here’s analysis from the COCA (so, using American writing specifically). If that link doesn’t work for you, here’s a screenshot. The top few words which have your sense of “strict” are: strict (#1 most frequent), heavy, outright, overt, and imposing (though this last might be in contexts meaning “the act of”, not “strict”, but it works for both). But I think this list demonstrates what I’m saying: “meh” words.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That's the notation for the specific collocation search. I believe, but I am not sure, that it breaks down into location (_) which is an adjective (j) followed by the collocated word (*). But that notation was added automatically for me as I used the UI elements configure my search ("*censorship preceded immediately by an adjective"), using dropdowns and such. I'm sure the notation is documented somewhere on the BYU site, but I've never had to use it. I just use the widgets, and so far, it's met all my needs.
    – Dan Bron
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    You should also be aware that BYU has several other searchable corpora, which help focus searches on specific writing communities (American English, British English, contemporary writing on the web, early English books, etc etc etc). It's well worth the stunning $0 fee to sign up.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago

















up vote
2
down vote

favorite













The government censors 80 percent of websites. In this country the Internet
censorship is quite ....?




I have several things in mind but the best to me seem to be "drastic", "intense", "high". What would be an idiomatic option?










share|improve this question

















  • 2




    Oh, I see now. You’re not looking for a word for censorship, the blank is at the end of your quoted passage. You want a general word for severity. Ok, how about draconian? Fits the context nicely.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago






  • 3




    Idiomatic, I think, is a red herring. It’s perfectly natural, but it’s not a set phrase or common pairing. For your purpose, you don’t want a common pairing; you want to make an impact. To use some hackneyed phrase would be counterproductive. It’s an intensifier (in the vernacular not grammatical sense) here. And yes, draconian carries connotations of extreme and bureaucratic overreach. For that reason, it’s often applied to government actions or in related contexts. Worth looking up the etymology, btw, really interesting.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That said, if you’re really after the most common collocations for “adj censorship”, here’s analysis from the COCA (so, using American writing specifically). If that link doesn’t work for you, here’s a screenshot. The top few words which have your sense of “strict” are: strict (#1 most frequent), heavy, outright, overt, and imposing (though this last might be in contexts meaning “the act of”, not “strict”, but it works for both). But I think this list demonstrates what I’m saying: “meh” words.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That's the notation for the specific collocation search. I believe, but I am not sure, that it breaks down into location (_) which is an adjective (j) followed by the collocated word (*). But that notation was added automatically for me as I used the UI elements configure my search ("*censorship preceded immediately by an adjective"), using dropdowns and such. I'm sure the notation is documented somewhere on the BYU site, but I've never had to use it. I just use the widgets, and so far, it's met all my needs.
    – Dan Bron
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    You should also be aware that BYU has several other searchable corpora, which help focus searches on specific writing communities (American English, British English, contemporary writing on the web, early English books, etc etc etc). It's well worth the stunning $0 fee to sign up.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago













up vote
2
down vote

favorite









up vote
2
down vote

favorite












The government censors 80 percent of websites. In this country the Internet
censorship is quite ....?




I have several things in mind but the best to me seem to be "drastic", "intense", "high". What would be an idiomatic option?










share|improve this question














The government censors 80 percent of websites. In this country the Internet
censorship is quite ....?




I have several things in mind but the best to me seem to be "drastic", "intense", "high". What would be an idiomatic option?







single-word-requests






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked 4 hours ago









Sasan

623928




623928







  • 2




    Oh, I see now. You’re not looking for a word for censorship, the blank is at the end of your quoted passage. You want a general word for severity. Ok, how about draconian? Fits the context nicely.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago






  • 3




    Idiomatic, I think, is a red herring. It’s perfectly natural, but it’s not a set phrase or common pairing. For your purpose, you don’t want a common pairing; you want to make an impact. To use some hackneyed phrase would be counterproductive. It’s an intensifier (in the vernacular not grammatical sense) here. And yes, draconian carries connotations of extreme and bureaucratic overreach. For that reason, it’s often applied to government actions or in related contexts. Worth looking up the etymology, btw, really interesting.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That said, if you’re really after the most common collocations for “adj censorship”, here’s analysis from the COCA (so, using American writing specifically). If that link doesn’t work for you, here’s a screenshot. The top few words which have your sense of “strict” are: strict (#1 most frequent), heavy, outright, overt, and imposing (though this last might be in contexts meaning “the act of”, not “strict”, but it works for both). But I think this list demonstrates what I’m saying: “meh” words.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That's the notation for the specific collocation search. I believe, but I am not sure, that it breaks down into location (_) which is an adjective (j) followed by the collocated word (*). But that notation was added automatically for me as I used the UI elements configure my search ("*censorship preceded immediately by an adjective"), using dropdowns and such. I'm sure the notation is documented somewhere on the BYU site, but I've never had to use it. I just use the widgets, and so far, it's met all my needs.
    – Dan Bron
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    You should also be aware that BYU has several other searchable corpora, which help focus searches on specific writing communities (American English, British English, contemporary writing on the web, early English books, etc etc etc). It's well worth the stunning $0 fee to sign up.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago













  • 2




    Oh, I see now. You’re not looking for a word for censorship, the blank is at the end of your quoted passage. You want a general word for severity. Ok, how about draconian? Fits the context nicely.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago






  • 3




    Idiomatic, I think, is a red herring. It’s perfectly natural, but it’s not a set phrase or common pairing. For your purpose, you don’t want a common pairing; you want to make an impact. To use some hackneyed phrase would be counterproductive. It’s an intensifier (in the vernacular not grammatical sense) here. And yes, draconian carries connotations of extreme and bureaucratic overreach. For that reason, it’s often applied to government actions or in related contexts. Worth looking up the etymology, btw, really interesting.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That said, if you’re really after the most common collocations for “adj censorship”, here’s analysis from the COCA (so, using American writing specifically). If that link doesn’t work for you, here’s a screenshot. The top few words which have your sense of “strict” are: strict (#1 most frequent), heavy, outright, overt, and imposing (though this last might be in contexts meaning “the act of”, not “strict”, but it works for both). But I think this list demonstrates what I’m saying: “meh” words.
    – Dan Bron
    4 hours ago







  • 1




    That's the notation for the specific collocation search. I believe, but I am not sure, that it breaks down into location (_) which is an adjective (j) followed by the collocated word (*). But that notation was added automatically for me as I used the UI elements configure my search ("*censorship preceded immediately by an adjective"), using dropdowns and such. I'm sure the notation is documented somewhere on the BYU site, but I've never had to use it. I just use the widgets, and so far, it's met all my needs.
    – Dan Bron
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    You should also be aware that BYU has several other searchable corpora, which help focus searches on specific writing communities (American English, British English, contemporary writing on the web, early English books, etc etc etc). It's well worth the stunning $0 fee to sign up.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago








2




2




Oh, I see now. You’re not looking for a word for censorship, the blank is at the end of your quoted passage. You want a general word for severity. Ok, how about draconian? Fits the context nicely.
– Dan Bron
4 hours ago




Oh, I see now. You’re not looking for a word for censorship, the blank is at the end of your quoted passage. You want a general word for severity. Ok, how about draconian? Fits the context nicely.
– Dan Bron
4 hours ago




3




3




Idiomatic, I think, is a red herring. It’s perfectly natural, but it’s not a set phrase or common pairing. For your purpose, you don’t want a common pairing; you want to make an impact. To use some hackneyed phrase would be counterproductive. It’s an intensifier (in the vernacular not grammatical sense) here. And yes, draconian carries connotations of extreme and bureaucratic overreach. For that reason, it’s often applied to government actions or in related contexts. Worth looking up the etymology, btw, really interesting.
– Dan Bron
4 hours ago





Idiomatic, I think, is a red herring. It’s perfectly natural, but it’s not a set phrase or common pairing. For your purpose, you don’t want a common pairing; you want to make an impact. To use some hackneyed phrase would be counterproductive. It’s an intensifier (in the vernacular not grammatical sense) here. And yes, draconian carries connotations of extreme and bureaucratic overreach. For that reason, it’s often applied to government actions or in related contexts. Worth looking up the etymology, btw, really interesting.
– Dan Bron
4 hours ago





1




1




That said, if you’re really after the most common collocations for “adj censorship”, here’s analysis from the COCA (so, using American writing specifically). If that link doesn’t work for you, here’s a screenshot. The top few words which have your sense of “strict” are: strict (#1 most frequent), heavy, outright, overt, and imposing (though this last might be in contexts meaning “the act of”, not “strict”, but it works for both). But I think this list demonstrates what I’m saying: “meh” words.
– Dan Bron
4 hours ago





That said, if you’re really after the most common collocations for “adj censorship”, here’s analysis from the COCA (so, using American writing specifically). If that link doesn’t work for you, here’s a screenshot. The top few words which have your sense of “strict” are: strict (#1 most frequent), heavy, outright, overt, and imposing (though this last might be in contexts meaning “the act of”, not “strict”, but it works for both). But I think this list demonstrates what I’m saying: “meh” words.
– Dan Bron
4 hours ago





1




1




That's the notation for the specific collocation search. I believe, but I am not sure, that it breaks down into location (_) which is an adjective (j) followed by the collocated word (*). But that notation was added automatically for me as I used the UI elements configure my search ("*censorship preceded immediately by an adjective"), using dropdowns and such. I'm sure the notation is documented somewhere on the BYU site, but I've never had to use it. I just use the widgets, and so far, it's met all my needs.
– Dan Bron
3 hours ago




That's the notation for the specific collocation search. I believe, but I am not sure, that it breaks down into location (_) which is an adjective (j) followed by the collocated word (*). But that notation was added automatically for me as I used the UI elements configure my search ("*censorship preceded immediately by an adjective"), using dropdowns and such. I'm sure the notation is documented somewhere on the BYU site, but I've never had to use it. I just use the widgets, and so far, it's met all my needs.
– Dan Bron
3 hours ago




1




1




You should also be aware that BYU has several other searchable corpora, which help focus searches on specific writing communities (American English, British English, contemporary writing on the web, early English books, etc etc etc). It's well worth the stunning $0 fee to sign up.
– Dan Bron
2 hours ago





You should also be aware that BYU has several other searchable corpora, which help focus searches on specific writing communities (American English, British English, contemporary writing on the web, early English books, etc etc etc). It's well worth the stunning $0 fee to sign up.
– Dan Bron
2 hours ago











2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
2
down vote



accepted










"draconian" seems to fit perfectly.



The government censors 80 percent of websites. Internet censorship is draconian in this country.




  • draconian laws or measures are extremely harsh and severe.


  • Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offenses had heavy punishments (Draconian laws).

    From Wikipedia




Etymology - draconian (adj.)
1759, "of or pertaining to Draco," the ancient Greek statesman; 1777, in reference to laws, "rigorous, extremely severe or harsh" (earlier Draconic, which is implied from 1640s). Draco is the Latinized form of Greek Drakon, name of the archon of Athens who laid down a code of laws for Athens c. 621 B.C.E. that mandated death as punishment for minor crimes. His name seems to mean literally "sharp-sighted" (see dragon).





  • Draco was the first recorded legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud by a written code to be enforced only by a court of law. Draco was the first democratic legislator, he was requested by the Athenian citizens to be a lawgiver for the city-state, but the citizens were fully unaware that Draco would establish harsh laws. Draco's written law was characterized by its harshness. To this day, the adjective draconian refers to similarly unforgiving rules or laws, in English and other European languages.






share|improve this answer





























    up vote
    2
    down vote













    To be clear, I would recommend reversing the statements.




    In [e.g. China] Internet censorship is severe: the government blocks
    access to 80 percent of websites.







    share|improve this answer




















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      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

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      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      2
      down vote



      accepted










      "draconian" seems to fit perfectly.



      The government censors 80 percent of websites. Internet censorship is draconian in this country.




      • draconian laws or measures are extremely harsh and severe.


      • Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offenses had heavy punishments (Draconian laws).

        From Wikipedia




      Etymology - draconian (adj.)
      1759, "of or pertaining to Draco," the ancient Greek statesman; 1777, in reference to laws, "rigorous, extremely severe or harsh" (earlier Draconic, which is implied from 1640s). Draco is the Latinized form of Greek Drakon, name of the archon of Athens who laid down a code of laws for Athens c. 621 B.C.E. that mandated death as punishment for minor crimes. His name seems to mean literally "sharp-sighted" (see dragon).





      • Draco was the first recorded legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud by a written code to be enforced only by a court of law. Draco was the first democratic legislator, he was requested by the Athenian citizens to be a lawgiver for the city-state, but the citizens were fully unaware that Draco would establish harsh laws. Draco's written law was characterized by its harshness. To this day, the adjective draconian refers to similarly unforgiving rules or laws, in English and other European languages.






      share|improve this answer


























        up vote
        2
        down vote



        accepted










        "draconian" seems to fit perfectly.



        The government censors 80 percent of websites. Internet censorship is draconian in this country.




        • draconian laws or measures are extremely harsh and severe.


        • Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offenses had heavy punishments (Draconian laws).

          From Wikipedia




        Etymology - draconian (adj.)
        1759, "of or pertaining to Draco," the ancient Greek statesman; 1777, in reference to laws, "rigorous, extremely severe or harsh" (earlier Draconic, which is implied from 1640s). Draco is the Latinized form of Greek Drakon, name of the archon of Athens who laid down a code of laws for Athens c. 621 B.C.E. that mandated death as punishment for minor crimes. His name seems to mean literally "sharp-sighted" (see dragon).





        • Draco was the first recorded legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud by a written code to be enforced only by a court of law. Draco was the first democratic legislator, he was requested by the Athenian citizens to be a lawgiver for the city-state, but the citizens were fully unaware that Draco would establish harsh laws. Draco's written law was characterized by its harshness. To this day, the adjective draconian refers to similarly unforgiving rules or laws, in English and other European languages.






        share|improve this answer
























          up vote
          2
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          2
          down vote



          accepted






          "draconian" seems to fit perfectly.



          The government censors 80 percent of websites. Internet censorship is draconian in this country.




          • draconian laws or measures are extremely harsh and severe.


          • Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offenses had heavy punishments (Draconian laws).

            From Wikipedia




          Etymology - draconian (adj.)
          1759, "of or pertaining to Draco," the ancient Greek statesman; 1777, in reference to laws, "rigorous, extremely severe or harsh" (earlier Draconic, which is implied from 1640s). Draco is the Latinized form of Greek Drakon, name of the archon of Athens who laid down a code of laws for Athens c. 621 B.C.E. that mandated death as punishment for minor crimes. His name seems to mean literally "sharp-sighted" (see dragon).





          • Draco was the first recorded legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud by a written code to be enforced only by a court of law. Draco was the first democratic legislator, he was requested by the Athenian citizens to be a lawgiver for the city-state, but the citizens were fully unaware that Draco would establish harsh laws. Draco's written law was characterized by its harshness. To this day, the adjective draconian refers to similarly unforgiving rules or laws, in English and other European languages.






          share|improve this answer














          "draconian" seems to fit perfectly.



          The government censors 80 percent of websites. Internet censorship is draconian in this country.




          • draconian laws or measures are extremely harsh and severe.


          • Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offenses had heavy punishments (Draconian laws).

            From Wikipedia




          Etymology - draconian (adj.)
          1759, "of or pertaining to Draco," the ancient Greek statesman; 1777, in reference to laws, "rigorous, extremely severe or harsh" (earlier Draconic, which is implied from 1640s). Draco is the Latinized form of Greek Drakon, name of the archon of Athens who laid down a code of laws for Athens c. 621 B.C.E. that mandated death as punishment for minor crimes. His name seems to mean literally "sharp-sighted" (see dragon).





          • Draco was the first recorded legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud by a written code to be enforced only by a court of law. Draco was the first democratic legislator, he was requested by the Athenian citizens to be a lawgiver for the city-state, but the citizens were fully unaware that Draco would establish harsh laws. Draco's written law was characterized by its harshness. To this day, the adjective draconian refers to similarly unforgiving rules or laws, in English and other European languages.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited 1 hour ago

























          answered 2 hours ago









          Centaurus

          36.7k27118235




          36.7k27118235






















              up vote
              2
              down vote













              To be clear, I would recommend reversing the statements.




              In [e.g. China] Internet censorship is severe: the government blocks
              access to 80 percent of websites.







              share|improve this answer
























                up vote
                2
                down vote













                To be clear, I would recommend reversing the statements.




                In [e.g. China] Internet censorship is severe: the government blocks
                access to 80 percent of websites.







                share|improve this answer






















                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote









                  To be clear, I would recommend reversing the statements.




                  In [e.g. China] Internet censorship is severe: the government blocks
                  access to 80 percent of websites.







                  share|improve this answer












                  To be clear, I would recommend reversing the statements.




                  In [e.g. China] Internet censorship is severe: the government blocks
                  access to 80 percent of websites.








                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered 2 hours ago









                  Mark Hubbard

                  6,02721031




                  6,02721031



























                       

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