A deliberate substitution of an inoffensive word for one that is offensive or vulgar, the opposite of a euphemism.
From Greek hetero- (different) + pheme (speech/utterance) + -ism (practice/system). The term was coined in the 20th century as an antonym to euphemism, maintaining the same root structure but inverting the meaning to describe replacing mild language with harsh language.
This word is the opposite twin of 'euphemism'—while euphemisms help us be polite, heterophemisms do the opposite! It's like someone deliberately choosing to say something ruder than necessary, which is exactly what happens in some comedy or when people are being provocative.
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