单词 | euphemistic |
释义 | euphemistic (once / 17828 pages) adj Something that's euphemistic fills in, in a polite or gentle way, for a difficult or offensive word. A euphemistic way to say "pregnant," for example, is "in the family way." People often use euphemistic expressions when they're afraid of offending or upsetting someone. You might refer to pornography as "adult material," or instead of saying, "You're going bald," say "You're looking a little thin on top." Euphemism comes from the Greek euphemismos, "use of a favorable word in place of an inauspicious one," from the roots eu-, "good," and pheme, "speaking." WORD FAMILYeuphemistic: euphemistically+/euphemise: euphemised, euphemises/euphemism: euphemise, euphemisms, euphemistic, euphemize/euphemize: euphemized, euphemizes, euphemizing USAGE EXAMPLESThe difference between the two is not euphemistic. The Guardian(Nov 27, 2016) Cupp noted in August, months after the word had outworn its euphemistic appeal. Salon(Nov 08, 2016) "So sending someone to Coventry might originally have been a euphemistic way of saying they're going to be hanged," said Mr McApline. BBC(Nov 05, 2016) adj substituting a mild term for a harsher or distasteful one `peepee' is a common euphemistic term Syn|Ant inoffensive dysphemistic, offensive substitute a harsher or distasteful term for a mild one |
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