euphemize means to utter one or more euphemisms; to speak euphemistically. It carries an Arena rating of 1665, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, euphemize ranks #51 of 13,217 for Most Elegant Words, #1,598 of 13,217 for Scariest Words, #1,687 of 13,217 for Most Storied Words, #1,980 of 13,217 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “euphemize” is a great word
To describe or refer to something using a milder or less direct word or expression. It is a back-formation from 'euphemism', itself from Greek 'euphēmismos' (from 'euphēmos', meaning 'sounding good') with the suffix '-ize'; compare Ancient Greek εὐφημίζω (euphēmízō, 'to use words of good omen'). First known use 1857. Unlike 'obfuscate', which deliberately clouds meaning, or 'disclose', which reveals a truth in its starkness, to euphemize is to soften a harsh reality with the felt padding of an alternative term. It is the antiseptic scent of an air freshener masking organic decay, the corporate 'rightsizing' that papers over a hundred lost livelihoods, the gentle ebb of a patient described as 'passing'—a quiet, communal agreement to turn the sharp edges of the world away from the skin.
Etymology
Back-formation from euphemism with the suffix -ize. Compare Ancient Greek εὐφημίζω (euphēmízō).
verb
- To utter one or more euphemisms; to speak euphemistically.“There seems to be some support here for the claim that the older group felt a greater need to euphemize in the two contexts in question.”
- To describe in euphemistic terms.“The pools in general are bedded with black mud, and creamed over with oily flakes which may proceed from the tar on the vessels' sides, and may also from "decomposing animal matter," as we euphemise it now-a-days.”
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