Glossary
euphemism
A euphemism is a mild or indirect word used in place of one that is harsh or unwelcome, such as "passed away" for "died".
A euphemism is a word or phrase that softens one a writer does not want to use plainly: passed away for died, let go for dismissed, between jobs for unemployed, not doing well for dying.
A euphemism is not automatically a fault. Told to a family, he died peacefully may be the kinder sentence. Written in a clinical record, the same instinct becomes evasion, and the record has one job — to say what happened. The patient died at 0410 is the note. The test is whether the softer word helps the reader understand or stops them, and an examination item usually only asks you to name it: a stem quotes a sentence and asks which word softens a harsher one.
The opposite move is a dysphemism, which replaces a neutral word with a harsher one (kicked the bucket). Both are register choices rather than grammar ones, and both should be deliberate: formal written English expects plain words.
Taught in
Related terms
- word choice — Word choice is the writer's selection of words, which carries tone and shades meaning beyond a word's plain dictionary sense.
- tone — Tone is the writer's attitude toward the subject, carried by word choice and sentence shape rather than stated outright.
Source: The grammar guide in this course, whose conventions follow the US Government Publishing Office's Style Manual for standard written American English, with standard grammar references for agreement, case, tense and sentence structure. The GPO manual is US federal government material, not subject to copyright in the United States. Every definition and example above was written for this course; no reference text is reproduced. (GPO Style Manual accessed 2026-10-27; definitions written 2026-10-27)