Word for describing in a positive sense


What is a word that means to say in a positive sense? For instance, when writers say that a person was sexually assaulted instead of saying raped.


Or people use let go instead of fired.


What is that called?



Answer



Such a usage is called a Euphemism.



"A figure of rhetoric by which an unpleasant or offensive thing is described or referred to by a milder term" (Chambers)



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of "s--t eating grin"

First floor vs ground floor, usage origin

usage - "there doesn't seem" vs. "there don't seem"

pronunciation - Where does the intrusive R come from in “warsh”?

Abbreviation of "Street"

etymology - Since when has "a hot minute" meant a long time?

meaning - What is synonyme of "scale"?