used to form nouns that indicate the activity of making something seem as if it has certain positive qualities when in fact this may not be true
Increasingly there is sharewashinggoing on, with companieslatching onto the term because it makes them part of a hottrend.
Repressivegovernments use sportswashing to removestains on their reputation.
Synonyms and related words
Suffixes
-ability
-able
-aholic
Featured as a BuzzWord!
The origins of the -washing suffix date back to the 16th-century verb whitewash, which over time took on a figurative sense connected with stopping people discovering the true facts about something. However it’s not until the relatively recent past that we’ve seen this word inspire other new terms and ultimately cause the -wash(ing) suffix to break free.
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-washing
suffix
US /ˈwɑʃɪŋ/
Other entries for this word
washingnoun
hot washingnoun
washing daynoun
washing-upnoun
washing linenoun
washing machinenoun
washing powdernoun
washing-up liquidnoun
washverb
wash upphrasal verb
wash awayphrasal verb
wash downphrasal verb
wash offphrasal verb
wash outphrasal verb
washingmachine at appliance
DEFINITIONS1
1
used to form nouns that indicate the activity of making something seem as if it has certain positive qualities when in fact this may not be true
Increasingly there is sharewashinggoing on, with companieslatching onto the term because it makes them part of a hottrend.
Repressivegovernments use sportswashing to removestains on their reputation.
Synonyms and related words
Suffixes
-ability
-able
-aholic
Featured as a BuzzWord!
The origins of the -washing suffix date back to the 16th-century verb whitewash, which over time took on a figurative sense connected with stopping people discovering the true facts about something. However it’s not until the relatively recent past that we’ve seen this word inspire other new terms and ultimately cause the -wash(ing) suffix to break free.