as in to soften
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Recent Examples of euphemize
Those words euphemize a cascade of traumas that have befallen higher education since Inauguration Day.
—
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
Later, their sad parts were endlessly euphemized until they could be mistaken for happy endings.
—Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2023
Why euphemize?
—oregonlive, 10 Dec. 2021
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
The molestation of a child by a pedophile is rape and needs to be characterized as such without euphemizing the act by calling it abuse.
—WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
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
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
Later, their sad parts were endlessly euphemized until they could be mistaken for happy endings.
—Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2023
Why euphemize?
—oregonlive, 10 Dec. 2021
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
The molestation of a child by a pedophile is rape and needs to be characterized as such without euphemizing the act by calling it abuse.
—WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for euphemize
Verb
-
By then, Trump had softened his tariff stance and the markets had rebounded accordingly.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
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On the campaign trail, the president spent time courting faith leaders throughout the country, often refusing to soften his language in those venues as well.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Coke has sweetened its soda in the U.S. with high-fructose corn syrup since the 1980s, but cane sugar is a familiar product for the company as it's already used for soft drinks in markets like Mexico.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
23 July 2025
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Trump is a noted fan of Diet Coke, a product line that is mainly sweetened with the artificial sweetener aspartame.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
The internet certainly doesn’t poeticize it for me.—
Leah Greenblatt,
EW.com,
29 Aug. 2019
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Santo Loquasto's set doesn't poeticize the ambience.—
Charles McNulty,
latimes.com,
10 May 2018
Cite this Entry
“Euphemize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/euphemize. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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