Euphemisms: Saying it Nicely

About two-thirds of American workers say their companies don’t “fire” people—they “rightsize” them. In one email, you lose your job and gain a euphemism. Today we’re diving into that strange moment when language sounds kinder than the reality it describes.

“Passed away” quietly passed “died” in printed English by the late 1980s—and has kept widening the gap ever since. Our language didn’t just soften; it collectively shifted its center of gravity around one of the hardest facts of life.

That shift isn’t random. We tend to reach for softer phrasing where emotions, status, or conflict are on the line: illness, money, sex, prejudice, job loss, even the bathroom. Watch a politician “misspeak,” an influencer “take a mental health break,” or a company announce “price adjustments” and you’re watching social friction being sanded down in real time.