Euphemism

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Euphemism \Eu"phe*mism\ ([=u]"f[-e]*m[i^]z'm), n. [Gr. ? fr. ?
     to use word of a good omen; e'y^ well + ? to speak: cf. F.
     euph['e]misme. See {Fame}.] (Rhet.)
     A figure in which a harsh or indelicate word or expression is
     softened; a way of describing an offensive thing by an
     inoffensive expression; a mild name for something


     disagreeable. Euphemistic

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  euphemism
       n : an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that
           is considered offensive [ant: {dysphemism}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  36 Moby Thesaurus words for "euphemism":
     Gongorism, affectation, affectedness, amelioration, artfulness,
     artifice, artificiality, cushioning, elegance, euphuism,
     exquisiteness, formalism, formality, goody-goodness,
     goody-goodyism, hyperelegance, indirect, manneredness, mannerism,
     mild, mitigation, mollification, overelaboration, overelegance,
     overniceness, overpreciseness, overrefinement, pedantry,
     preciosity, preciousness, precisianism, pretentiousness, purism,
     substitution, unnaturalness, vague