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genteelism

American  
[jen-tee-liz-uhm] / dʒɛnˈti lɪz əm /

noun

  1. a word or phrase used in place of another, supposedly less genteel term.

    “Limb” is a genteelism for “leg.”
genteelism British  
/ dʒɛnˈtiːlɪzəm /

noun

  1. a word or phrase used in place of a less genteel one

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of genteelism

First recorded in 1925–30; genteel + -ism

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.