Euphemism: Meaning, Definition, 70 Examples and How to Use?

Euphemism in English literature and language denotes a particular group of words or even a phrase that are being used for generations together to express something sad, embarrassing, upsetting or unpleasant. The purpose of using euphemisms is basically to make something sound less critical and annoying.

Euphemism is usually used indirectly to make an unpleasant thing more acceptable make it more polite. Euphemism is often used in English literature.

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70 Examples of Euphemisms That’ll Change Your Writing Style

You can use a euphemism to say something indirectly and make it more polished and sober. You can understand euphemism meaning better through the examples that are used colloquially. If you want to change your writing style and make it more literary, you can use the following euphemistic words:

1. Joseph’s father left for his heavenly abode this morning
2. John’s mother passed away two days ago
3. Jane belongs to a well-to-do family
4. Jenny’s father is quite well-off
5. Josephine is between the jobs
6. Joseph does not have a home. he is now on the streets
7. Russia and Ukraine have both suffered collateral damages due to the ongoing war
8. David could take a loan from a bank only after offering collateral
9. Despite being a differently-abled man, Dan caught the thief
10. Catherine is a physically challenged woman
11. Harrison is a mentally challenged man
12. Joseph is suffering in his business due to negative cash flow
13. Oliver was evicted from his home for not paying the rent. He is currently on the streets
14. Orson is a big-boned man
15. The Bristol prison let go of the thief when he completed his term
16. Samson is a well-fed man
17. You can save money by buying a pre-owned car
18. Due to accumulated loss, the Harrison Company resorted to laying off 100 employees
19. Mac was telling stories to conceal the truth
20. Catherine dreamt of a rosy future on migrating to Australia
21. Being hearing-impaired, Cynthia faced a lot of problems
22. Cyril is speech-impaired.
23. Abraham is known for his talk talks in the village
24. In his village, George is known for his tell tales habit
25. Both the warring kings decided to bury the hatchet
26. Rebels could be defeated and arrested only after an armed intervention
27. Maria has just lost her mother
28. Marianne has gone to her sleep permanently
29. Our grandfather is no more with us
30. Lily was a late bloomer but she did well in the final examination
31. Lorie came out with flying colours in her examination
32. Mabel has the habit of running a little behind as far as her office timing is concerned
33. Harrison is always an outspoken man
34. The government has decided to help the underprivileged
35. Adult beverages are sold only in bars
36. McDonald is spendthrift
37. McMahon is a high-rolling man. He spends a lot.
38. After losing his job, Ramsay became down-and-out
39. For bread and butter, David decided to migrate to another country
40. After her divorce, Mary became a bit down in the dumps.
41. To make both ends meet, Lucy took up a teaching job
42. Victor is ill-reputed in the village for his hollow promises
43. Vicky always blows his own trumpet
44. Victor ran out of all his money
45. Albert always sued the carrot and stick policy for his selfish gains
46. Don’t hire a half-baked lawyer
47. The company is downsizing the employees to cope with losses
48. Jack has just been fired by the company
49. Joseph sent his manager to realize the outstanding payment from Johnson
50. Marianne is is a habit of window-shopping
51. Uncle John is aging gracefully
52. He is adding numbers (growing old)
53. Boris is a seasoned cricket player
54. Jackson is well-fed. That is why he is putting on weight.
55. The thief was sent to a correction house (i.e. jail)
56. The armed force streamlined its personnel after landing on the war front.
57. Erickson is hard of hearing
58. The court awarded capital punishment to Edward for the murder he had committed two years ago.
59. Friedrich deserted the troops
60. Igor is a little thin on the top (i.e. bald)
61. He is dumb as a stump
62. He is dumb as a doorknob
63. He is left empty-handed (i.e. left with no cash)
64. Josephine is having an extramarital affair
65. Jill begged to say sorry, that was a slip of the tongue
66. Being a thrifty woman, she saved a lot for her old age
67. Beware of wardrobe malfunctions before going to attend a grand gala party
68. The club members are simply talking shop, they do nothing
69. Being a big mouth, none likes him in the club
70. McPherson is a high-rolling man.

Examples in Everyday Conversation

One of the beauties of the English language and literature is to use of innuendoes or some ornamental words to construe a meaning that may not sound very harsh to depict a sorry state of affairs.

This is why something is said euphemistically in colloquial language. Here are 10 examples of euphemistic words or phrases that we use in our day-to-day life:

i. My car ran out of petrol
ii. I am facing my bad days now (i.e. hardship)
iii. Joseph, you should always make the hey while the sun shines
iv. John, will they let you go after you have committed this mistake?
v. Josephine became a little ill at ease at the party
vi. The wife shouted at her husband to run the hearth and home, I need more money
vii. Jack earns a lot. He is a man with a fat wallet
viii. Catherine was chilling out after her hard work on the drama set
ix. Nobody in the home trusts Henry as he is very creative with the truth (i.e. not telling the truth or liar)
x. Albert decided to change his flat as he needed elbow room.

Famous Examples

There are some famous euphemistically applied words over the centuries. Some famous euphemism examples are used for centuries together. We are listing below 10 such famous examples:

i. Veni, Vidi Vici (I came, I saw and I conquered): This is an example attributed to Julius Caesar. This has become a famous saying or phrase to denote a quick victory.
ii. Eureka: This is an interjection meaning I have found and attributed to the Grecian scientist Archimedes. Though a Greek word, it is used in the English language and literature.
iii. To beguile the time (Hamlet of William Shakespeare)
iv. Don’t ever call me mad, Mycroft. I am not bad. I am just…..well, differently moraled, that is all (The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde.
v. “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,” the man said. “It’s not really an operation at all,” Earnest Hemmingway in Hills Like White Elephants
vi. “Perhaps we have been guilty of some terminological inexactitudes.” (Winston Churchill, not telling the exact truth)
vii. “Where the present time has latched itself on my tremulous stay,” (Thomas Hardy refers to death in his poem Afterwards).
viii. One of the finest literary examples of euphemism is that of Sophocles. The poet uses euphemism in Oedipus, the King to refer to old age as “Our Age…”.

This famous example is given below:

Priest

O ruler of my country, Oedipus
you see our company around the altar
you see our ages, some of us like these
who cannot yet fly far and some of us
heavy with age; these children are chosen
among the young and I the priest of Zeus.

In this famous poem, the terms like heavy with age and cannot yet fly far are some of the best examples of euphemism.

Work-Related

You use several euphemistic words in your office, factory and places where you are employed. Mostly you do so to avoid saying something harshly or bluntly. You indirectly express the same sense to sound it better. Most commonly used 10 such work-related euphemistic words are listed below:

i. Laid off from a job
ii. Senior citizen instead of old
iii. Fabrication to mean a lie
iv. Compensation or remuneration to mean pay
v. Issue to denote a problem
vi. Concerned means worried
vii. Restroom to denote bathroom
viii. Maintenance staff to mean janitor
ix. Batting for you means your colleague supporting your case with the management
x. Gatekeeper to denote the person opening or closing the door

Financial Euphemisms

Very often, some words are used in commerce, business, trade and financial matters to down-tone a negative meaning. We are listing 10 such most-used euphemistic words:

i. Negative profit: running at a loss
ii. Bearish or Bear hug: in the stock market to say downtrend in share prices
iii. Bullish trend: in the stock market to denote rising prices of share
iv. Stagflation: stagnation or low growth in the economy combined with high inflationary trend
v. Buck: bill or currency note
vi. Cut Back: reduce office expenses
vii. Cutting the corner: reducing expenses by saving on unproductive investments
viii. Stash cash: conceal money or park illegal money in offshore banks
ix. Shell Out: give a large amount of money
x. Spending spree: spend money recklessly

Euphemisms for Death & Dying

Death is always a tragedy. Naturally, people tend to avoid mentioning the term death directly and replace this word with certain euphemistic words that sound less tragic. Following are 10 such words used often:

i. Bereaved
ii. Passed away
iii. Left for heavenly abode
iv. (Someone is) now no more
v. Kick the bucket
vi. (Someone is) gone
vii. Left the mortal world or coil
viii. Meet someone’s maker
ix. Eternal sleep
x. (Someone is) no longer with us

Religious Euphemisms

In religion, euphemistic words are used to tone down something harsh. 10 such euphemisms are given below:

i. Dogma
ii. Taboo
iii. Superstition
iv. Reformation
v. Non-believer
vi. Heathen
vii. Papist
viii. Theist
ix. Atheist
x. Agnostic

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Euphemism in Literature

The literary use of euphemism in English literature has been continuing for centuries together. It continues unabated. We are giving below five examples of euphemism in literature:

i. In English literature, Stephen King is famous for using metaphors and euphemisms. One of his examples of euphemisms is: “Lodgepine Review has gone to that great writer’s workshop in the sky. The forthcoming summer issue will be the last.” Instead of writing plainly that his literary journal: “Lodgepine Review is closing, he used the term “…will be the last.”

ii. In his famous book 1984, George Orwell used the term Doublethink to denote the distortion of facts that politicians do to suit their purpose.

iii. George Orwell’s other famous example of the use of euphemism was noticed in his book Animal Farm. In the book he writes: “For the time being,” he explains, “it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations.” Here, readjustment means reduction.

iv. George Orwell, in the same book 1984, used a unique term to denote dead man. He simply wrote: The man ceased operations.”

v. J. R. Ward writes in his novel Love Eternal:
“You are a manipulator,”
“I like to think of myself more as an outcome engineer.”
Here, the term engineer is used as a party to a plot.

Bodily Functions

In the English language and literature, euphemism has several important functions. The five functions are mentioned below:

i. A way to narrate indirectly (usually a negative thing)
ii. Using synonymously but using a literary sense to indirectly narrate a negative meaning guarded in a not-so-unpleasant coating
iii. Metaphorical use is another important aspect of its bodily function
iv. Innuendo is another major function of it
v. Use sober language to depict something un-sober

Euphemism Examples for the Tactful Writer

A tactful writer, poet or essayist will use euphemisms to express something discreetly and tactfully. The following five examples can show it:

i. An intelligent writer will say: I am sorry to hear your mother left for her heavenly abode (to tactfully avoid saying she has died)
ii. Alex is hard of hearing. Hence, you must say something loudly to him (this is to say that Alex is deaf or semi-deaf)
iii. Raymond shied away from committing himself to Rosy (shy away is to mean avoid something)
iv. Joseph is mentally deranged (to imply he is mad)
v. Jill is in a habit of telling stories.

How to Get Paid To Write?

You can earn by writing. The following are some of the ways to get paid to write:

Do freelance writing
Write blogs for websites and blog-sites
Write short stories for short story magazines
Write articles for a newspaper or magazine
You can become an author
You can become a copywriter

List of Most Commonly Used Euphemisms

Figurative language is used to make harsher meaning mild. We can cite the following 10 examples of it:

i. Couch potato: lazy
ii. Put to sleep: euthanize someone
iii. Running a little behind: late
iv. Well-off: rich
v. Golden years: old age
vi. Golden age: a very good time for civilization, a city or country
vii. Curvy: fat
viii. Loose tongue: a person using slang
ix. To blow one’s own trumpet: brag, tall talk about oneself
x. Reduced to ashes: burnt down or something ended in a tragic manner

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Frequently Asked Questions