Synonyms for euphemisms
| Grammar : Noun |
| Spell : yoo-fuh-miz-uh m |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈyu fəˌmɪz əm |
Définition of euphemisms
Origin :- 1650s, from Greek euphemismos "use of a favorable word in place of an inauspicious one," from euphemizein "speak with fair words, use words of good omen," from eu- "good" (see eu-) + pheme "speaking," from phanai "speak" (see fame (n.)).
- In ancient Greece, the superstitious avoidance of words of ill-omen during religious ceremonies, or substitutions such as Eumenides "the Gracious Ones" for the Furies (see also Euxine). In English, a rhetorical term at first; broader sense of "choosing a less distasteful word or phrase than the one meant" is first attested 1793. Related: Euphemistic; euphemistically.
- noun nice way of saying something
- He wondered if he could soften the news, but it did not lend itself to euphemisms.
- Extract from : « Cynthia » by Leonard Merrick
- Such offences have gathered a whole throng of euphemisms about them.
- Extract from : « Stories That Words Tell Us » by Elizabeth O'Neill
- At the same time he was not inclined to any euphemisms that would seem to bring Felix into the lists with himself.
- Extract from : « Felix Holt, The Radical » by George Eliot
- These euphemisms are the soul of the English language, the outcome of the cool British temperament.
- Extract from : « English Pharisees and French Crocodiles » by Max O'Rell
- Cunningham suggests that "wise" was "one of the thousand and one euphemisms for 'inebriated.'"
- Extract from : « The Works of Christopher Marlowe, Vol. 3 (of 3) » by Christopher Marlowe
- The study of euphemisms can teach us much about men's thoughts and manners in the past and the present.
- Extract from : « Stories That Words Tell Us » by Elizabeth O'Neill
- She wrote her name, and Mr. Casey's name, and could find no scope for euphemisms regarding the nature of the interview she sought.
- Extract from : « One Man's View » by Leonard Merrick
- This is pretty strong; and "sophistry" and "time-serving" are only euphemisms for lying in preaching and practice.
- Extract from : « Flowers of Freethought » by George W. Foote
- It should be added that euphemisms for menstruation are not confined to Europe, and are found among savages.
- Extract from : « Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1 (of 6) » by Havelock Ellis
- Reference has been made to the euphemisms in use among all peoples to avoid pronouncing the name of the devil.
- Extract from : « British Goblins » by Wirt Sikes
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Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019