mincing words

A form of mince words — To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of mince words
Cite this entry
APA

mincing words. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mincing%20words

MLA

“mincing words.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mincing%20words. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mincing words,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mincing%20words.

Source: mincing words on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.