euphemism

American  

[yoo-fuh-miz-uhm] / ˈju fəˌmɪz əm /

noun

• euphemisms
  plural

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.”

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euphemism British  

/ ˈjuːfɪˌmɪzəm /

noun

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

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euphemism Cultural  

1. 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 (see also Jews) as “the Final Solution.”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• euphemist
  noun
• euphemious
  adjective
• euphemistic
  adjective
• euphemistical
  adjective
• uneuphemistic
  adjective
• uneuphemistical
  adjective
• euphemiously
  adverb
• euphemistically
  adverb
• uneuphemistically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• euphemisms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of euphemism

First recorded in 1650–60; from Greek euphēmismós “use of words of good omen,” from eu- eu- + phḗm(ē) “speaking, fame” + -ismos -ism

Explanation

Pardon me, but when a polite term is substituted for a blunt, offensive one, you should call it a euphemism. Euphemism is from Greek euphemismos, meaning "good speech," and it's a way that we paper over uncomfortable things with more pleasant-sounding words. These days we tend to use euphemisms when talking about anything having to do with elimination of bodily waste: toilet, bathroom, and water closet were all originally euphemisms. The military is also notorious for using euphemisms, like saying "neutralizing the target" instead of "killing someone."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

euphemism euphemisms

This begins with two small “pilot zones” the IDF will hand to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which are charged with disarming “non-state armed groups”—the preferred Lebanese euphemism for Hezbollah—and dismantling terror infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Musk justified the "rapid unscheduled disassembly" of these rockets, to use the entrepreneur's favorite euphemism for explosions, by saying they were part of the learning process.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

It has never really been used as a euphemism for murder.

From Salon ● May 8, 2026

It comes just weeks after Zhang was removed from his post, after he was accused of "serious violations of discipline and law" - typically a euphemism for corruption.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

“Entering the water” was thus a euphemism on the order of “passed on to a better place.”

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

House Speaker Mike Johnson could win an award for military euphemisms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

In one of the film’s most charged moments, Peck turns Orwell’s warning about political language into a montage of modern euphemisms: “peacekeeping operations,” “collateral damage,” “illegals” — and then, pointedly, “antisemitism 2024.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025

And it could shift the national conversation from euphemisms and proxies to the real question: What do we owe the descendants of those who built this country?

From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2025

Social media generally breeds this problem of people getting so enmeshed in their subcultures that they forget that most people don't share their jargon or euphemisms.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2024

Amaranta felt so uncomfortable with her defective diction and her habit of using euphemisms to designate everything that she would always speak gibberish in front of her.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez