verb
- to refer to something unpleasant or offensive in a mild or indirect way
Usage: formal
Examples
- Politicians often euphemize tax increases by calling them ‘revenue enhancements.’
- The company euphemized the layoffs as ‘rightsizing the workforce.’
- She euphemized her failure by describing it as a ‘learning experience.’
- The military tends to euphemize civilian casualties as ‘collateral damage.’
- Rather than say he was fired, he euphemized it as ‘pursuing new opportunities.’
- The doctor euphemized the terminal diagnosis by saying the patient had ‘limited time.’