political correctness

From politically correct +‎ -ness.

political correctness (countable and uncountable, plural political correctnesses)

1. (uncountable) Avoidance of expressions or actions that can be perceived to exclude, marginalize or insult people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.
   • 1991 May 4, George H. W. Bush, “President George H.W. Bush's commencement address at the University of Michigan”, in The Michigan Daily‎:

     The notion of political correctness has ignited controversy across the land. And although the movement arises from the laudable desire to sweep away the debris of racism and sexism and hatred, it replaces old prejudice with new ones.

   • 2002 October, Christopher Hitchens, “The Power of Facing”, in The Atlantic‎:

     I mean, people who talk about political correctness as being a kind of thought police have no idea of what a thought police is. But political correctness does have the same mentality. It means that intellectual argument is doomed. Objective truth simply becomes a thing to jeer at, because obviously there's no such thing as objectivity—unless of course you're politically okay, in which case you can be objective. Any child can see through that, but many adults can't.

   • 2004, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?‎, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 72:

     Political correctness cripples discourse, creates ugly language and is generally stupid.

2. (countable) The result or product of being politically correct.
3. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (derogatory) the cultural Marxism conspiracy theory.

• political incorrectness

• conservative correctness (used by leftists to refer to conservative censorship)