euphemize
euphemize verb: to utter one or more euphemisms; to speak euphemistically.
Verb
euphemize (third-person singular simple present euphemizes, present participle euphemizing, simple past and past participle euphemized)
- To utter one or more euphemisms; to speak euphemistically.
- There seems to be some support here for the claim that the older group felt a greater need to euphemize in the two contexts in question.1999, A. J. Meier, “When Is a Woman a Lady?”, in American Speech, volume 74, number 1, page 63
- To describe in euphemistic terms.
- The pools in general are bedded with black mud, and creamed over with oily flakes which may proceed from the tar on the vessels' sides, and may also from "decomposing animal matter," as we euphemise it now-a-days.1857, Charles Kingsley, chapter 2, in Two Years Ago
Forms of euphemize
| third-person singular present | euphemizes |
|---|---|
| present participle | euphemizing |
| past participle | euphemized |
| past | euphemized |
| alternative form | euphemise |
Origin of euphemize
Back-formation from euphemism with the suffix -ize. Compare Ancient Greek εὐφημίζω (euphēmízō).
Words formed from euphemize
Questions about euphemize
- What does euphemize mean?
- Euphemize means to utter one or more euphemisms; to speak euphemistically.
- What part of speech is euphemize?
- Euphemize is a verb.
- What is the past tense of euphemize?
- The past tense of euphemize is euphemized.
Words near euphemize in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: euphemize (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “euphemize.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/euphemize. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.