euphemism
Use Euphemism in a sentence
fəˌmɪz noun
1.
the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.
2.
the expression so substituted: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To euphemism
00:10
Euphemism
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is pious. Does it mean:
| of or pertaining to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular: |
| the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
euphemism (ˈjuːfɪˌmɪzəm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | an inoffensive word or phrase substituted for one considered offensive or hurtful, esp one concerned with religion, sex, death, or excreta. Examples of euphemisms are sleep with for have sexual intercourse with; departed for dead; relieve oneself for urinate |
| 2. | the use of such inoffensive words or phrases |
| [C17: from Greek euphēmismos, from | |
| euphe'mistic | |
| —adj | |
| euphe'mistically | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
euphemism
1650s, from Gk. euphemismos "use of a favorable word in place of an inauspicious one," from euphemizein "speak with fair words," from eu- "good" + pheme "speaking," from phanai "speak" (see fame). In ancient Greece, the superstitious avoidance of words of ill-omen during religious
ceremonies, or substitutions such as Eumenides "the Gracious Ones" for the Furies (see also Euxine). In Eng., a rhetorical term at first; broader sense of "choosing a less distasteful word or phrase than the one meant" is first attested 1793. Related: Euphemistic; euphemistically.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
euphemism [(yooh-fuh-miz-uhm)]An agreeable word or expression substituted for one that is potentially offensive, often having to do with bodily functions, sex, or death; for example, rest room for toilet, lady of the evening for prostitute. The Nazis used euphemism in referring to their plan to murder the world's Jews as “the Final Solution.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Moreover, the firm says it is not trying to take out costs-a euphemism for closing factories and slashing jobs.
Risk management became a euphemism for continued justification of unsound practices.
That sounds like a euphemism for something, although I'm not sure what.
Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.
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