A euphemism is a figure of speech that occurs when one word or expression is used in place of another in order to make the communication of the message to be conveyed lighter.
This substitution can be made to add a touch of comicity to the communication or to avoid the use of inappropriate, offensive and/or in bad taste words. It also aims to soften and attenuate a message that may cause some kind of discomfort or a feeling of displeasure. Check out 10 sentences of euphemism examples:
1. He passed from this to the best.
In place of: he he died.
Although a death is always something unpleasant to communicate, the use of euphemism can ease the weight of the word "died", replacing it with the expression "passed from this one to the best".
The way the information is given conveys the idea that the deceased person would now be in a better place. In a way, this could help to comfort the recipient of the message.
2. Today I am in those days.
Instead of: today I am menstruated.
While it's not exactly taboo, talking about menstruation often embarrasses some people.
By referring to the menstrual period as “those days”, the information is not lost, but is expressed in a less explicit and more subtle way.
3. his daughter works at life.
In place of: his daughter works at the prostitution.
The word “prostitution”, despite not being a vulgarism, is a term that directly refers to an idea of moral degradation.
The use of the euphemism in the example above softens the “heaviness” of the sentence so that it sounds less offensive.
4. that woman got rich by illicit means.
Instead of: that woman got rich by having stolen.
In a situation where you do not want to directly accuse a person of theft, but where there is a need to let Of course, if such a person's resources have not been honestly earned, one can resort to euphemism.
The figure of speech makes the communication of the message more subtle.
5. your neighbor is devoid of beauty.
Instead of: your neighbor is ugly.
Likes and opinions are always very relative, but referring to someone as “ugly” can lead to an unpleasant situation where that person feels offended.
However, so that communication does not become so impolite, it is possible to substitute the adjective “ugly” for “devoid of beauty”, in order to attenuate the way of expressing opinion.
6. I think they missed the truth.
Instead of: I think they lied.
In the example above, the interlocutor avoided the use of the verb “they lied” by resorting to the euphemism “they lacked the truth” so that the message, although keeping the same meaning, sounds less offensive.
7. The young subtracted the lady's purse.
In place of: the young he stole the lady's purse.
As mentioned above, accusing someone of theft can generate some discomfort. By substituting the verb “stole” for “subtracted”, the message is preserved, but the communication becomes more subtle.
8. they live on public charity.
Instead of: they live on alms.
The word “alms” turns out to have a negative side as it is generally associated with a situation of extreme poverty. "Public charity", in turn, almost always refers to the idea of help, solidarity and support.
Although both options are used with the same meaning, the use of the euphemism denotes a positive sense.
9. He said that the students had limited intelligence.
Instead of: said the students were donkeys.
The expression "they were dumb", which is extremely pejorative, can be replaced by the euphemism "limited intelligence".
Although the meaning of both options is the same, the use of the word "intelligence" somewhat reduces the impact of the message to be conveyed.
10. your sister is a little plump.
In place of: your sister is fat.
The use of the word "fat" to refer to a person is offensive and would certainly cause a great deal of discomfort if it had been applied in direct communication with the person in question.
The euphemism "cheinha", in addition to sounding less rude, also conveys some subtlety through the use of the diminutive.
know more about euphemism and speech figures.