euphemism
noun
the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.
euphemistic
-
a word derived from
euphemism.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even the original terms had euphemistic elements to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2025
Even former president Tsai was careful to refer to China in euphemistic terms like “the other side of the strait” or “the Beijing authorities”.
From BBC ● May 23, 2024
In Canada, the target reduction is 20 percent, and to coax people into joining the effort, the government’s Department of Citizen Strategy has come up with language as euphemistic as its name.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
Translating this phrase too literally into English blunts its violence, making it sound old-fashioned or euphemistic when Ovid’s language is neither.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 8, 2022
I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were both thinking of all the different meanings behind that euphemistic phrase.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
