| dysphemism |
| Definition: The substituting of harsh words for milder ones. |
| Example: George W. Bush implemented a Nazi-like Final Solution to the New Hampshire electoral distribution problem. |
| Etymology: The word was coined by combining the Greek dys, bad, with euphemism. Note: The word euphemism derives from the Greek euphemismos, the using of a favorable word in place of an unfavorable one (from the Greek eu, good + pheme, speaking). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The first citation for dysphemism is from 1884: "The great system which Comte, and other assailants, call by the euphemism, or dysphemism, of Catholicism." (L. A. Tollemache Safe Studies 142) |