euphemism
English · Thesaurus
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euphemism
- /ˈjuː.fəˌmɪz.əm/
- /ˌjyːˈfɛmizm̩/
Where it comes from
Recorded since 1656; from Ancient Greek εὐφημισμός (euphēmismós), from εὐφημίζω (euphēmízō), from εὔφημος (eúphēmos, “uttering sound of good omen, abstaining from inauspicious words”), from εὖ (eû, “well”) + φήμη (phḗmē, “a voice, a prophetic voice, rumor, talk”), from φημί (phēmí, “to speak, say”).
noun euphemisms
- The use of a word or phrase to replace another one that is more offensive, blunt or vulgar. Akin to it [litotes] is euphemism, which may be applied to the same purpose.
-
A word or phrase that replaces another in this way.
When it is said of the martyr St. Stephen, that “he fell asleep,” instead of—he died, the euphemism partakes of the nature of metaphor, intimating a resemblance between sleep and the death of such a person.
Similar: codeword, genteelism
Similar: perfumed terms of the time · Opposite: dysphemism, expletive
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: perfumed terms of the time · Opposite: dysphemism, expletive
Translations
Every language
noun use of a word or phrase to replace another word with one considered less offensive
| Español | eufemismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 완곡어법 wan'gogeobeop, 돌려 말하기 dollyeo malhagi |
| 日本語 | 婉曲法 enkyokuhō |
| 中文 | 委婉語 /委婉语 wěiwǎnyǔ, 婉辭 /婉辞 wǎncí, 婉詞 /婉词 wǎncí |
| Português | eufemismo |
| Français | euphémisme |
| Deutsch | Euphemismus |
| Italiano | eufemismo |
| Ελληνικά | ευφημισμός effimismós |
| Română | eufemism |
| Русский | эвфеми́зм evfemízm |
| العربية | تَلْطِيف talṭīf |
| עברית | לָשׁוֹן נְקִיָּה lashón n'qiyá |
noun word or phrase that is used to replace another in this way
| Español | eufemismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 완곡한 표현 wan'gokhan pyohyeon, 완곡어 wan'gogeo |
| 日本語 | 婉曲表現 enkyoku hyōgen |
| 中文 | 委婉語 /委婉语 wěiwǎnyǔ, 婉辭 /婉辞 wǎncí, 婉詞 /婉词 wǎncí |
| Português | eufemismo |
| Français | euphémisme |
| Deutsch | Euphemismus |
| Italiano | eufemismo |
| Ελληνικά | ευφημισμός effimismós |
| Română | eufemism |
| Русский | эвфеми́зм evfemízm |
| Tiếng Việt | uyển ngữ |
| العربية | تَعْبِير مُلَطِّف taʕbīr mulaṭṭif |
Talk about this word "euphemism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/euphemism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. euphemism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/euphemism "euphemism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/euphemism.Cite this
@misc{euphemism_2026,
title = {euphemism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/euphemism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
