100+ Euphemism Examples to Authenticate Your Writing

In the English-speaking world, we’re not always comfortable talking directly about sex, finances, aging, etc. — so we use euphemisms to soften the blow. A euphemism is any word or phrase that replaces a rude, blunt, or uncomfortably explicit expression.

Just like in real life, euphemisms play an important role in writing. Besides reflecting authentic language use, they can be used to:

• Characterize someone as polite and sensitive;
• Show that a character is uncomfortable with a topic;
• Situate the story in a particular time period;
• Add humor to relieve tension; or simply
• Avoid repetition of the same word.

There’s a euphemism for every situation (and if not, remember you can always invent your own!). Read on for 100+ euphemism examples for a variety of occasions — plus case studies showing their use in literature.

🚨 Content warning: As you can imagine, this post will contain some sensitive language and references to sexual content. Read at your own discretion!

Euphemisms for personality traits

Let’s start with character descriptions. When describing a negative personality trait, you have to decide whether to be direct or use a euphemism. A blunt description will portray the character in a negative light, whereas a euphemism can serve one of two purposes: ensuring the character remains likable, or presenting the observing character as kind and nonjudgmental.

The table shows some examples of euphemisms for personality traits:

📚 In literature: The Turning by Tim Winton

In this collection of short stories, the narrator of Big World describes his friend Biggie as “not the brightest crayon in the box.” The affectionate, mild euphemism for “stupid” shows that the narrator isn’t criticizing or judging his best mate.

Euphemisms for physical traits

When it comes to physical descriptions, euphemisms are not always your friends. As they generally replace negative words, using one is essentially admitting that you find a physical trait “bad.” In fact, Sarah Hollowell calls for writers to stop using euphemisms for the word “fat,” since there is nothing wrong with being overweight.

To remain body-positive and inclusive, you should generally avoid euphemisms for physical appearance unless they serve a specific purpose. You might want to use a euphemism to show a character’s own low self-esteem, portray the observing character as implicitly prejudiced, or make readers laugh (though ideally not at the characters’ expense).

On these occasions, you might choose one of the following:

📚 In literature: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

In this novel, Botswana’s only female detective, Precious Ramotswe, is described as “being blessed with generous girth, rather than height.” Since her size has already been established before, this is a creative and funny (but not too offensive) euphemism that avoids repetition.

Euphemisms relating to social standing

After personality and appearance, another way of describing characters is through their social or economic background. These might also change over the course of a story, so it’s important to consider how to approach a potentially sensitive subject.

It all depends on how comfortable your characters — and your target audience — are with talking about inequality. There’s arguably something admirable about stating the issues outright without trying to soften the harsh reality, but not everyone will react well to such directness.

In that vein, here are some euphemisms about class, money, and employment:

📚 In literature: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

The protagonist and finance clerk Eleanor describes her paychecks as “far from generous.” This euphemism downplays her financial situation and ensures she can’t be perceived as complaining — after all, she is proud of her self-sufficiency and the fact that she is “completely fine.”

Euphemisms relating to sex

Sex is another topic where the necessity and extent of euphemistic language depend very much on your target audience — in particular, their genre expectations. Explicit mentions of sex may be expected in romance novels, but questioned in cozy mysteries.

Additionally, while sexual euphemisms may be used organically in character dialogue, they’re typically less organic in narration — and if you’re actually describing a sex scene, you should steer clear of euphemisms entirely (unless you’re writing a satire). 

When choosing which euphemism to use, think about the period in which your story is set, the age of your characters, and the appropriate level of politeness.

Historical euphemisms for sex

For historical fiction writers, we’ve collected some of the most popular euphemisms for sex through the ages:

Modern euphemisms for sex

We’ve also found some common examples of modern euphemisms, ordered from politest to most vulgar — in the executive opinion of the staff here at NowNovel!

• make love
• have relations
• test the mattress
• sleep with
• go all the way
• get lucky
• get busy
• get laid
• bone
• bang
• screw 
• nail

And here are some sexual euphemisms associated strongly with a specific age group or region:

📚 In literature: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

You can use pretty much anything to refer to sex as long as the context is clear. Jonas Jonasson uses the euphemistic phrase “what he hitherto had only seen in movies.” While ambiguous in isolation, the meaning can be inferred from the situation, in which “the mutual closeness was especially intense.”

Other euphemisms related to sex

Of course, it’s not just sexual intercourse itself that is spoken of euphemistically. There’s a whole host of related vocabulary. Here are just a few examples:

📚 In literature: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In a future with insanely advanced virtual reality, the protagonist Wade reflects gloomily on the loneliness and shame that come from virtual sex with an anatomically correct haptic doll. As a result, he gets rid of the doll and goes back to “spanking the monkey the old-fashioned way.” The lighthearted, humorous euphemism for masturbation lifts the depressive mood.

Euphemisms for bodily functions and illnesses

Although bodily functions like urination and defecation are even more natural than sex, it’s often culturally unacceptable to discuss them explicitly in polite company.

If bodily functions (or malfunctions) are essential to your plot, consider who your character is and whom they are talking to. Unless the speaker is unusually open and the addressee is very close to them, you’ll probably want to use a euphemism.

Here are some of the many options:

📚 In literature: Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

In the story-within-a-story, the receptionist Nancy tells hotel owner Melissa that she is going to powder her nose. The euphemism reflects the polite and professional relationship between the two.

Euphemisms relating to death

We’ve left the most difficult topic for last: death. Nobody wants to be brutally reminded of their dead family and friends, or the fact that they themselves will cease to exist in the not-so-distant future. So unless your aim is to force people to face the hard truth, you might like to use a soothing euphemism.

You can choose one from the table below:

📚 In literature: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In the short story Ghosts, Professor James Nwoye tells a long-lost friend his wife is “no longer with us,” to avoid using the unpleasant word “dead” and to soften the blow of the news.

Cheat sheet: 100+ euphemism examples

We've combined all the examples in this post into one cheat sheet that you can refer to while you write — but of course, there are many many more euphemisms that didn’t make our list. In fact, there’s a whole Oxford Dictionary dedicated to euphemisms, and even that doesn’t pretend to be exhaustive!

⭐ Download a PDF of all 100+ euphemism examples in this post

Whether you’re using phrases from our list, your own research, or even your imagination, remember to keep your euphemisms in-character and provide enough context to make it clear what you’re really talking about. And don’t be afraid to subvert expectations every now and then by not using euphemisms for taboo subjects!