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EUPHEMISM
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What is a euphemism?
• Euphemisms are a type of figurative language in which a
certain topic, often one that is considered taboo, is
reworded to be more palatable and “friendly.”
• Euphemisms help neutralize words that can come off as
harsh, insensitive, or “improper.”
• Although including this type of rhetorical device in your
writing can be advantageous for many reasons, some
people consider the use of euphemisms to be misleading
or deceitful.
Using Euphemisms
• Most style guides treat euphemisms as misleading, dishonest, and wordy and recommend against them. It
is generally best to avoid the use of euphemism in all academic writing, reports, and expository writing
in favor of directness and honesty. Euphemisms can suggest insincerity and evasiveness and should not
be used to avoid speaking candidly.
• Not all euphemisms are inherently dishonest as they can sometimes protect against valid harm, but it is
often the case that they greatly alter the direction of a conversation and inhibit clear communication.
• Euphemisms come in many shapes and sizes and should only be used thoughtfully. Be intentional with
your use of euphemistic language to avoid confusion and negative consequences. The value of a
euphemism resides in how, when, and why it's used.
Etymology
Euphemism comes from the Greek word euphemia (εὐφημία)
which refers to the use of 'words of good omen'; it is a
compound of eû (εὖ), meaning 'good, well', and phḗmē (φήμη),
meaning 'prophetic speech; rumour, talk'. Eupheme is a reference
to the female Greek spirit of words of praise and positivity, etc.
The term euphemism itself was used as a euphemism by the
ancient Greeks; with the meaning "to keep a holy silence"
(speaking well by not speaking at all).
Purpose
• Avoidance. Reasons for using euphemisms vary by context
and intent. Commonly, euphemisms are used to avoid
directly addressing subjects that might be deemed negative
or embarrassing. They may be created for innocent, well-
intentioned purposes or nefariously and cynically,
intentionally to deceive and confuse.
• Rhetoric. Euphemism may be used as a rhetorical strategy,
in which case its goal is to change the valence of a
description.
Purpose
• Mitigation. Euphemisms are also used to mitigate, soften or
downplay the gravity of large-scale injustices, war crimes, or
other events that warrant a pattern of avoidance in official
statements or documents. For instance, one reason for the
comparative scarcity of written evidence documenting the
exterminations at Auschwitz, relative to their sheer number, is
"directives for the extermination process obscured in
bureaucratic euphemisms“.
Types of euphemisms
The most common types of euphemism are :
• Politeness 
• Diplomacy
• Abstraction
• Litotes 
• Spin Euphemism
Litotes
Litotes is a figure of speech that uses understatements to emphasize the exact opposite of the actual
situation. It is one of the writers’ favourites. Despite its complexity, litotes is simple to explain using
examples: not particularly brilliant – dumb; not a prom queen – ugly; not bad at all – fantastic. It’s all
about the irony in this case because the writers aren’t trying to make fun of anything. On the contrary, they
are more vividly communicating new traits or thoughts in this manner. The new detail will scarcely go
ignored by Litotes.
Politeness
Impoliteness is commonly viewed as a social
taboo, which is why euphemisms are used to
mitigate the severity of a situation. Politeness is a
conversational construct that reduces the
frequency of improper language answers. It is
regarded as a matter of good manners and serves
to make all parties involved in the conversation
more comfortable and spontaneous.
Spin Euphemism
If you work in public relations, you should be familiar with spin euphemisms. These are used to create
profit-generating confusion, confuse consumers, or sway public opinion. Spin is probably the most
dangerous type of euphemism, but it is certainly not the least common. It is frequently used by politicians
and corporations. It minimizes unwanted repercussions by downplaying the negative characteristics of a
product, idea, or event. When it comes to firing people, for example, firms frequently use the term
“rationalization.” It is not, however, strictly tied to economics or politics; individuals all around you utilize
it all the time. When trying to persuade a publisher that his or her new book is fantastic, say something
like, “There is currently no other book that covers what my book covers” or something like. That is correct,
but a meaningless spin.
Diplomacy
Diplomatic debate is a true art form. Negotiation skills,
anxiety, and strategic thinking are all required as well as
euphemisms. It’s easy to see why euphemisms deserve such a
prominent place in politics, given their role as acceptable
substitutes for potentially divisive words or phrases.
Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell in such a
way that they ask for directions, as Winston Churchill put it.
In order to succeed in this field, you must learn to utilize
words in new ways, giving them new meanings in the context
of international politics. It’s almost as if you can speak
another language, which is why authors should study it as
well.
Abstraction
You’ll have to utilize so-called white lies on a regular
basis to disguise unpleasant realities (more or less)
smoothly. We employ euphemisms like these to keep the
issue under control, mostly to avoid emotional outbursts.
For example, we frequently say “before I depart” rather
than “before I die,” which has a more soothing sense.
It’s a common language solution that may be found in
both regular interactions and literary works. When we
say “pregnancy termination” instead of “abortion” or
“casualties of war” instead of “dead,” we are
abstracting well-known facts.
Different Uses of Euphemistic Language
Euphemisms to Comfort Euphemisms to Disguise
• Euphemisms offer a way to reduce tension in • Euphemistic language can be used to intentionally
conversation and make everyone involved feel confuse and disorient others and the implications
more comfortable. Euphemisms can be used for of this should not be taken lightly. They are used
the benefit of others without causing harm in by some to package the truth into something more
many cases. For example, to be polite when easily digestible and have been called "unpleasant
speaking to a person grieving the recent loss of a truths wearing diplomatic cologne,"
loved one, the term "passed away" in place of
"died" can ease some of the negative feelings the
subject may cause.
Different Uses of Euphemistic Language
Euphemisms to Shield Euphemisms to Spin
• To speak euphemistically is to use language as a • Euphemism is often considered a form of spin,
shield against the feared, the disliked, or the used most notably by politicians, bureaucrats, and
unpleasant. At their best, euphemisms avoid being advertisers to pass something—an idea, policy, or
offensive and have polite connotations. At the product—off as attractive through disingenuous
least, euphemisms seek to avoid too many means. Such linguistic trickery is, of course,
negative connotations. They are used to upgrade nothing new; its systematic and highly politicized
the denotatum (as a shield against scorn), they are use is thought to have its origins in George
used deceptively to conceal the unpleasant aspects Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949),
of the denotatum (as a shield against anger), and where "newspeak" was the new language imposed
they are used to display in-group identity (as a by the state to restrict the lexicon of posterity,
shield against the intrusion of out-groupers). eliminate gradations of meaning, and, ultimately,
control thought.
Examples
Euphemisms for people
• He’s big boned. — He’s fat.
• She’s horizontally challenged.* — She’s fat, too.
• He’s vertically challenged.* — He’s short.
• She’s between jobs. — She’s unemployed.
• She’s getting on. — She’s old.
• He’s not the sharpest pencil in the box. — He’s kind of stupid.
Not his fault — he just is.
• He doesn’t suffer fools gladly. — He’s rude and can be pretty
unkind.
• She’s on the streets. — She’s homeless.
Examples
Euphemisms about getting fired
• We’re going to have to let you go.
• Have you considered early retirement? — only for older people
• I’m afraid you’ve been made redundant. — This one isn’t as bad, as it means your job doesn’t exist
anymore. You’ve probably been
• replaced by a computer.
Euphemisms for “bad”
• It wasn’t up to scratch. — It wasn’t good enough.
• It left a lot to be desired. — It was pretty bad and unsatisfying.
• That was a questionable idea. — There are problems with this idea.
• How was the trip? It was … Meh — How was the trip? It wasn’t that good at all. Not terrible but not
good.
Examples
Euphemisms for death
• She’s passed on.
• She’s passed away.
• She’s met her maker.
• We’ve lost her.
• She’s been put to sleep / put down. — for describing when a pet has to be killed by the vet
Euphemisms about war
• Collateral damage – When an attack kills innocent people (or damages homes, hospitals, schools, etc.).
• Armed intervention – This simply means “military attack.”
• Friendly fire – This is when an army kills people on its own side, usually by accident.