euphemize

verb

eu·​phe·​mize ˈyü-fə-ˌmīz 

euphemized; euphemizing

transitive verb

: to express or describe euphemistically

euphemize death

euphemizer

ˈyü-fə-ˌmī-zər 

noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Remembering is dangerous when attachments are so tenuous; better to isolate, to distance or to euphemize. —David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2021

And if a real crisis happens, as with Central Americans flooding through the southern border, euphemize it as someone else’s mess. —Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2021

First on the docket is hair loss (euphemized on its site as a bonsai tree shedding its leaves), with a $44-a-month box that includes DHT shampoo, a Minoxidil dropper, and Finasteride pills. —Grant Rindner, Esquire, 6 Dec. 2017

In 1944, a Warner Bros. cartoon euphemized World War II through Bugs Bunny and ice cream. —Matt Siegel, The Atlantic, 6 Aug. 2017

The sexual content is similarly euphemized, in dances charmingly choreographed by Nejla Yatkin and in a few shirtless cuddles that suggest romance more than predation. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 25 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

euphem(ism) + -ize

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above