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Euphemism is a euphemism for lying.
Bobbie Gentry

Meaning of "euphemism" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD EUPHEMISM

From Greek euphēmismos, from eu- + phēmē speech.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF EUPHEMISM

euphemism  [ˈjuːfɪˌmɪzəm] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF EUPHEMISM

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Euphemism is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES EUPHEMISM MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Euphemism

A euphemism is a generally innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse; while others use bland, inoffensive, and often misleading terms for things the user wishes to dissimulate or downplay. Euphemisms are used for dissimulation, to refer to taboo topics in a polite way, and to mask profanity. The opposite of euphemism roughly equates to dysphemism. Euphemisms may be used to avoid words considered rude, while still conveying their meaning; words may be replaced by similar-sounding words, gentler words, or placeholders. Some euphemisms have become accepted in certain societies for uncomfortable information; for example, in many English speaking countries, a doctor is likely to say "the patient passed away" rather than "the patient died". A second example relating uncomfortable information and concealing some degree of truth would be "we put the dog to sleep" rather than "we killed the dog". Euphemisms can be used to downplay or conceal unpalatable facts, such as "collateral damage" for "civilian casualties" in a military context, or "redacted" for "censored".

Definition of euphemism in the English dictionary

The definition of euphemism in the dictionary is 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. Other definition of euphemism is the use of such inoffensive words or phrases.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH EUPHEMISM


academism
əˈkædəˌmɪzəm
alarmism
əˈlɑːmɪzəm
animism
ˈænɪˌmɪzəm
atomism
ˈætəˌmɪzəm
Benthamism
ˈbɛnθəˌmɪzəm
bromism
ˈbrəʊˌmɪzəm
dynamism
ˈdaɪnəˌmɪzəm
dysphemism
ˈdɪsfɪˌmɪzəm
economism
ɪˈkɒnəˌmɪzəm
endemism
ˈɛndəmɪzəm
extremism
ɪkˈstriːmɪzəm
minimism
ˈmɪnɪˌmɪzəm
opiumism
ˈəʊpɪəˌmɪzəm
optimism
ˈɒptɪˌmɪzəm
overoptimism
ˌəʊvərˈɒptɪˌmɪzəm
pancosmism
pænˈkɒzˌmɪzəm
pessimism
ˈpɛsɪˌmɪzəm
racemism
ˈræsɪˌmɪzəm
seismism
ˈsaɪzˌmɪzəm
totemism
ˈtəʊtəˌmɪzəm

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE EUPHEMISM

euphausiacean
euphausiid
euphemise
euphemiser
euphemist
euphemistic
euphemistically
euphemize
euphemizer
euphenic
euphobia
euphon
euphonic
euphonically
euphonies
euphonious
euphoniously
euphoniousness
euphonise
euphonism

WORDS THAT END LIKE EUPHEMISM

bathmism
bedlamism
chemism
cosmism
Humism
Islamism
legitimism
logical atomism
momism
Moslemism
nomism
nonconformism
Pan-Islamism
panspermism
photochromism
reformism
short-termism
thermochromism
Thomism
transformism

Synonyms and antonyms of euphemism in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «EUPHEMISM»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «euphemism» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of euphemism

Translation of «euphemism» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF EUPHEMISM

Find out the translation of euphemism to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of euphemism from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «euphemism» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

委婉语
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

eufemismo
570 millions of speakers

English

euphemism
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

व्यंजना
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

كناية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

эвфемизм
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

eufemismo
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

রেখাসমূহ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

euphémisme
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Eufemisme
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Euphemismus
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

婉曲表現
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

완곡어법
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Euphemism
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

uyển khúc ngư pháp
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

நாசுக்காக
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

युरोपिझम
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

edebikelâm
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

eufemismo
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

eufemizm
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

евфемізм
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

eufemism
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ευφημισμός
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

eufemisme
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

omskrivning
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

eufemisme
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of euphemism

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «EUPHEMISM»

The term «euphemism» is regularly used and occupies the 70.928 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
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100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
67
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «euphemism» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of euphemism
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «euphemism».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «EUPHEMISM» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «euphemism» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «euphemism» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about euphemism

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «EUPHEMISM»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word euphemism.
1
Alan Dershowitz
Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.
2
Andrea Dworkin
'Women's fashion' is a euphemism for fashion created by men for women.
3
Fred W. Friendly
A composite is a euphemism for a lie. It's disorderly. It's dishonest and it's not journalism.
4
Bobbie Gentry
Euphemism is a euphemism for lying.
5
Elizabeth Hardwick
The language of the younger generation has the brutality of the city and an assertion of threatening power at hand, not to come. It is military, theatrical, and at its most coherent probably a lasting repudiation of empty courtesy and bureaucratic euphemism.
6
Annie Jacobsen
In many previously classified documents relating to activities at the base, the words 'Area 51' are conveniently blacked out. There's always a euphemism for it - like 'the test facility' or 'the base' - but never 'Area 51.'
7
Paul Johnson
Euphemism is a human device to conceal the horrors of reality.
8
Joseph Wood Krutch
Any euphemism ceases to be euphemistic after a time and the true meaning begins to show through. It's a losing game, but we keep on trying.
9
James Nesbitt
'Spoilt' is a euphemism for 'loved.'
10
Marge Piercy
Sleeping together is a euphemism for people, but tantamount to marriage with cats.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «EUPHEMISM»

Discover the use of euphemism in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to euphemism and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language Used As Shield and Weapon
Provides a study of euphemism and dysphemism in the early Dutch and English languages
Keith Allan, Kate Burridge, 2001
2
Fair of speech: the uses of euphemism
Sixteen original essays by leading writers, including Joseph Epstein, Diane Johnson, Robert Nisbet, and Robert Burchfield, ruminate on the role of euphemism in general and in specific areas, such as sex, politics, medicine, religion, and ...
Dennis Joseph Enright, 1985
3
Historical Linguistics, 1997: Selected Papers from the 13th ...
EUPHEMISM WITH ATTITUDE POLITICALLY CHARGED LANGUAGE CHANGE KATE BURRIDGE La Trobe University 1. Introduction Person-hole covers, herstory and firefighters are still news, or so it seems. Political correctness has given ...
Monika S. Schmid, Jennifer R. Austin, Dieter Stein, 1998
4
Invitation to Critical Thinking
EUPHEMISM A good example of issue-distorting language is the common rhetorical device of euphemism. The term derives from the Greek for good speech or good word. It refers to a figure of speech in which things are labeled or described ...
Joel Rudinow, Vincent E. Barry, 2007
5
Sociolinguistics: A Resource Book for Students
EUPHEMISM AND REGISTER Register and style are both means of marking out social groups and establishing solidarity. In general, the sort of lexicogrammatical choices made at this level are based on selection of words and sequencing ...
Peter Stockwell, 2002
6
Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language
The reluctance to view PC initiatives as euphemism may arise from deprecation of the term euphemism itself. For instance, some feminists reject the word lady as euphemistically implying some negative quality inherent in woman, their term of ...
Keith Allan, Kate Burridge, 2006
7
Power Without Domination: Dialogism and the Empowering ...
times the euphemism even remains undetected and the words it makes use of are understood in their literal sense. In the first kind of euphemism, understanding is guaranteed by semantic collaboration (cf. Grillo, this volume), which at the ...
Eric Grillo, 2005
8
A Dictionary of Literary Devices: Gradus, A-Z
Euphemism (a) Metonymy* and metaphor*. Frequent in current expressions. Exx: 'rear end'; 'to go to bed with someone'; 'blossom' (pimple); 'cherry' (hymen). See also metalepsis*. (b) Double negation* or negation of the contrary.
Bernard Marie Dupriez, Albert W. Halsall, 1991
9
Notes on the Final Solution (Euphemism)
William Thomas. tioning points back further to something else which is equally one of the negatives within the interpreter's system). Or he might do so, but will yet insist that the specific culprit (no matter how much of a sociohistorical ...
William Thomas, 2002
10
A Practical Study of Argument
There is a sense in which euphemism is the opposite of emotionally charged language. With emotionally charged language, terms are more emotional than appropriate. Euphemism, on the other hand, involves a kind of whitewashing effect in ...
Trudy Govier, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «EUPHEMISM»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term euphemism is used in the context of the following news items.
1
South Carolina governor signs bill ordering Confederate flag to be …
Those that are Southern Sympathizers claim it was "States Rights" which is a euphemism for "We want to be able to circumvent the ... «Chicago Tribune, Jul 15»
2
Pornhub built a $1000 twerking, robot butt
We just couldn't think of a clear enough euphemism to just casually slip that in. SOURCE: PornHub. Tags: adultthemes butt pornhub twerking ... «Engadget, Jul 15»
3
Wimbledon 2015 has become victim to the rapid, vapid Aussie …
As it happens, the Fanatics have brought a wider songbook to the All England Club. Though songbook might be something of a euphemism ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
4
Remembering Robert Altman's wacky 1970 delight 'Brewster McCloud'
... played by an unrecognizable Stacy Keach, who hauls off with this scatological euphemism: "I just dumped a steamer through the hoop! «Chicago Tribune, Jul 15»
5
Magic Mike XXL girls' night out: the safest safe space of all time
... entertainers strode in dressed in LA highway patrol gear and shining their flashlights into the audience (incredibly, this is not a euphemism). «The Guardian, Jul 15»
6
Superheroes, Just for Each Other
She used the word “catastrophic” and discussed the possibility of “comfort care,” a euphemism for pulling the plug. If the hemorrhage proved to ... «New York Times, Jul 15»
7
Richard Desmond's autobiography is just a supersized OK! feature
Desmond's reputation is often described with the catch-all euphemism “colourful”. Reading The Real Deal, you suspect that he plays up to the ... «New Statesman, Jul 15»
8
Jane Grigson: the woman whose words you'll want to eat
Jane Grigson is sometimes described as “the food writer's food writer”, which is probably a euphemism for “the food writer all other food writers ... «New Statesman, Jul 15»
9
On the road to Windows 10: How long will free upgrades last?
The phrase "as a Service" has long been a euphemism for "rent," and potential customers are rightfully concerned that they may have to pay ... «InfoWorld, Jul 15»
10
Juliana Introduces New Carbon Nevis
And before you ask, “Tushar” is not a euphemism for one's derrière, but the name of the mountains where the event takes place! You can find ... «Pinkbike.com, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Euphemism [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/euphemism>. Apr 2024 ».
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