dysphemism

noun

an offensive or disparaging expression that is substituted for an inoffensive one

Roots

dusdys- · Greek · bad, disordered phemephem- · Greek · speech, saying ismos-ism · Greek · practice, usage

Synonyms & related words for dysphemism

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of dysphemism. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to dysphemism

Explore words related to dysphemism — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include dysphemistic, pejorative, derogatory, derogative, dyslogistic, disparaging, vulgarism, niggerish. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does dysphemism come from?

The word dysphemism breaks down into 3 roots of Greek origin: dys-, from Greek dus (“bad, disordered”); phem, from Greek pheme (“speech, saying”); and -ism, from Greek ismos (“practice, usage”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.