cancel culture

noun

: the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling (see cancel entry 1 sense 1e) as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure

For those of you who aren't aware, cancel culture refers to the mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren't socially accepted today. This practice of "canceling" or mass shaming often occurs on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

—Demetria Slyt

At a Republican National Convention where speakers' rage about cancel culture has been clear, former Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann used his speaking slot to introduce himself as "the teenager who was defamed by the media."

—Hunter Woodall

Cancel culture is supported as a tool to stop offensive and harmful behavior, while others find it problematic and toxic.

—Elise Krumholz

cancel culture warriors

the cancel culture movement

also : the people who engage in or support this practice

I have to admit that I'm not opposed to the majority of legacies, groups of people, and trends being scrutinized by the cancel culture. In fact, the response to many of the ideologies and personalities that have been "cancelled" is, in most cases, long, long overdue. But I have a few concerns …

—Brad Peters

Examples of cancel culture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though this tweet was deleted — and Ye’s Twitter account was briefly locked in response, though it was quickly unlocked — another, in which Ye seemed to rhetorically suggest Jewish people invented cancel culture, initially remained online. —Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Feb. 2025

His resignation, apparently confirmed to have been pressured after Musk asked the public if he should be reinstated, was quickly decried by some on the Right as a success of cancel culture. —Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Feb. 2025

Anyone who believes that cancel culture prevails in the entertainment industry can just look at the ongoing record of wins by some highly controversial figures who are not beloved among progressives to know that this might be a fallacy. —Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025

Mark Zuckerberg announcing a complete U-turn on all woke censorship & cancel culture bulls***.. good for you Mark Zuckerberg and good for Elon Musk who has led the charge on free speech. —Michael D. Carroll and Theo Burman, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2016, in the meaning defined above