euphemism
/ˈjuː.fəˌmɪz.əm/
euphemism means the use of a word or phrase to replace another one that is more offensive, blunt or vulgar. It carries an Arena rating of 1889, earned across 56 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, euphemism ranks #107 of 40,250 for Qualifying, #175 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #684 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #1,129 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words.
euphemism is pronounced /ˈjuː.fəˌmɪz.əm/.
Why “euphemism” is a great word
A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh, blunt, or offensive. From the Ancient Greek εὐφημισμός (euphēmismós), from εὖ (eû, "well") + φήμη (phḗmē, "speech, report"), literally "good speech"; first recorded in English use in 1656. Unlike a dysphemism, which sharpens a term into a blade, or an expletive, which rends the air with raw force, a euphemism is a soft glove over a hard truth. It is the funeral director's "loved one" for the corpse in the next room, the corporate memo's "right-sizing" for the massacre of livelihoods, the whispered "passed" when someone has simply died—the human insistence that language, like water, might be made to flow around the rocks rather than crash upon them.
Etymology
Recorded since 1656; from Ancient Greek εὐφημισμός (euphēmismós), from εὐφημίζω (euphēmízō), from εὔφημος (eúphēmos, “uttering sound of good omen, abstaining from inauspicious words”), from εὖ (eû, “well”) + φήμη (phḗmē, “a voice, a prophetic voice, rumor, talk”), from φημί (phēmí, “to speak, say”).
noun
- The use of a word or phrase to replace another one that is more offensive, blunt or vulgar.e.g.“Akin to it [litotes] is euphemism, which may be applied to the same purpose.”
- A word or phrase that replaces another in this way.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.