language police

Noun

language police (uncountable)

1. (derogatory, informal) Any person or group crusading for a particular usage or omission within a language.
   • the methods and fervor of the self-appointed language police can lead to a rigid orthodoxy -- and unintentional self-parody -- opening the movement to the scorn of conservative opponents and the mockery of cartoonists and late-night television hosts. [...] the utopian world envisioned by the...1993 January 31, Michiko Kakutani, “The Word Police”, in New York Times
   • Students lose out when the language police ignore the distinction between using offensive words and discussing them.2022 February 7, Conor Friedersdorf, “The Educators Who Decided That Context Doesn’t Matter”, in The Atlantic

   Synonyms:

   language cops, tongue troopers