genteelism

genteelism
/jen tee"liz euhm/, n.
a word or phrase used in place of another, supposedly less genteel term: "Limb" is a genteelism for "leg."
[1925-30; GENTEEL + -ISM]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • genteelism — Fowler (1926) described genteelism as ‘the substituting, for the ordinary natural word that first suggests itself to the mind, of a synonym that is thought to be less soiled by the lips of the common herd, less familiar, less plebeian, less… …   Modern English usage

  • genteelism — noun Date: 1926 a word believed by its user to be more polite or less vulgar than a common synonym; also the use of genteelisms …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • genteelism — noun a nicer word used instead of a vulgar or distasteful word Were such cheerful genteelisms any use? Syn: euphemism …   Wiktionary

  • genteelism — gen·teel·ism …   English syllables

  • genteelism — gen•teel•ism [[t]dʒɛnˈti lɪz əm[/t]] n. ling. a word or phrase used in place of another, supposedly less genteel term • Etymology: 1925–30 …   From formal English to slang

  • genteelism — /dʒɛnˈtilɪzəm/ (say jen teelizuhm) noun a self consciously polite synonym for a forthright or crude word …  

  • genteelism — n. a word used because it is thought to be less vulgar than the commoner word (e.g. perspire for sweat) …   Useful english dictionary

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  • euphemism — I (Roget s IV) n. Syn. substitution, doublespeak, softened expression, polite term, code word, mock modesty, prudishness, indirection, metaphorical speech, verbal extenuation, word in good taste, overdelicacy of speech, affected refinement,… …   English dictionary for students

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