Euphemism as Obfuscation: Softening Language to Hide the Truth

Have you ever heard politicians say something that sounds like the opposite of what it really is?

Have you ever taken something that was supposed to be good for you but turned out it wasn't?

Have you ever been told something was for your safety, but then it turns out it took away from your freedom?

You've experienced a euphemism.

A euphemism is a mild or indirect word used in place of a harsh, offensive, or blunt term. While euphemisms can be polite, they often function as linguistic obfuscation—softening reality to make something bad seem less severe, evade responsibility, or manipulate perception.

Obfuscation is the deliberate act of making something unclear, confusing, or difficult to understand. It is often used to hide the truth, evade accountability, or manipulate perception by overwhelming or misleading an audience.

Obfuscation can take many forms, but common signs include:

✅ Overly complex language (jargon, legalese, technical terms without explanation)

✅ Vagueness (avoiding direct answers, using ambiguous phrasing)

✅ Excessive information (drowning key points in irrelevant details)

✅ Misdirection (changing the subject, strawman arguments)

✅ Circular reasoning (restating the same idea without evidence)

✅ False precision (using numbers or stats in a misleading way)

✅ Selective omission (leaving out key facts that contradict the argument)

However, we are going to focus on euphemisms here.

One again, euphemism is a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word.

How Euphemisms Work as Obfuscation

Masking Harsh Realities – Making something unpleasant sound neutral or even positive.
Shifting Blame – Avoiding direct accountability.
Sanitizing Injustice – Making oppression sound bureaucratic.
Corporate Doublespeak – Hiding exploitation behind neutral terms.
Political Spin – Reframing failure as strategy.

Examples of Euphemistic Obfuscation

"Collateral damage" → Civilian casualties
"Neutralizing the target" → Killing a person
"Ethnic cleansing" → Genocide
"Enhanced interrogation" → Torture
"Kinetic military action" → Bombing
"Down-sizing" → Mass layoffs
"Transitioning out of the company" → Fired
"Pre-owned" → Used
"Negative growth" → Economic decline - (inflation is transitory - remember that one)
"Revenue enhancement" → Tax increases
"Alternative facts" → Lies
"Patriotic education" → Propaganda
"Undocumented immigrants" → Illegal immigrants (depending on framing)
"Special military operation" → War of aggression
"Passed away" → Died
"Terminate with extreme prejudice" → Assassinate
"Put to sleep" → Euthanize (a pet)
"Ethical euthanasia" → Assisted suicide
"Friendly fire" → Killed by your own side
"Alternative investment opportunity" → Ponzi scheme
"Creative accounting" → Fraud
"Free trial (with hidden charges)" → Scam
"Multi-level marketing" → Pyramid scheme
"Adjustable-rate mortgage" → Predatory loan
"Economical with the truth" → Lying
"Between jobs" → Unemployed
"Let go" → Fired
"Pre-loved" → Used
"Sanitation engineer" → Garbage collector