Word for not feeling bad

Some examples:

• Instead of admitting that I’m an alcoholic, I just say I had one too many drinks.
• Instead of the bank admitting that it has lots of loans that are in arrears and are likely to default, it only says that it has underperforming loans.
• Instead of admitting that they overeat, they simply claim that they have a strong appetite.

Basically, I’m after a word for when a phrase is used that is not really a lie, but doesn’t give the whole truth to make it sound more positive than it actually is. Usually when something should be dealt with, but it’s kind of swept under the carpet by the misleading phrase.

Trivialize — ODO

verb (with object)
Make (something) seem less important, significant, or complex than it really is.
«the problem was either trivialized or ignored by teachers»
«As a result, the film seems to trivialize important events in Dutch history»

answered Jul 14, 2016 at 17:05

There are many good answers already in the list, but the one that jumped to my mind is not included, so I’ll add it:

Gloss over

to avoid considering something, such as an embarrassing mistake, to
make it seem not important, and to quickly continue talking about
something else
— Cambridge Dictionary

answered Jul 14, 2016 at 18:47

_{In case you need something more than single-words…}

Make light of — TFD

to treat something as if it were unimportant or humorous.
«I wish you wouldn’t make light of his problems. They’re quite serious.»
«I make light of my problems, and that makes me feel better.»

Make little of — TFD

to minimize someone or something; to play someone or something down; to belittle someone or something.
«John made little of my efforts to collect money for charity.»
«The neighbors made little of John and thought he would amount to nothing.»

answered Jul 14, 2016 at 17:09

If you’re in the mood for a colourful idiom: A superficial fix for a more serious issue can be called putting lipstick on the pig.

Justify, Minimize, and Rationalize

Justify has a secondary meaning of trying to defend oneself (especially when not warranted) such as he tries to justify his actions.

Minimize has a secondary meaning of representing the lowest possible amount or importance as in he minimizes the importance of his actions.

This term is used in psychology with the definition: a type of deception involving denial coupled with rationalisation in situations where complete denial is implausible. It is the opposite of exaggeration. Wikipedia

Rationalize has primary meaning which is to give causes which superficially seem reasonable but are unrelated, such as he tries to rationalize his actions.

In psychology, it has the following definition: a defense mechanism in which controversial behaviors or feelings are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation, and are made consciously tolerable—or even admirable and superior—by plausible means. Wikipedia

answered Jul 15, 2016 at 14:33

Massage the truth

You can massage figures or facts to make them more amenable to your purposes. It sounds quite harmless.

answered Jul 18, 2016 at 12:08

These sentences use weasel words.

From M-W :

: a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position

Or a longer definition from wikipedia :

A weasel word (also, anonymous authority) is an informal term for words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that a specific and/or meaningful statement has been made, when only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated, enabling the specific meaning to be denied if the statement is challenged.

To tergiversate is synonymous with the use of weasel words to avoid making an outright assertion. Weasel words can imply meaning far beyond the claim actually being made. Some weasel words may also have the effect of softening the force of a potentially loaded or otherwise controversial statement through some form of understatement, for example using detensifiers such as «somewhat» or «in most respects»….

[…] Use of vague or ambiguous euphemisms (e.g., replacing «firing staff» with «streamlining the workforce»)

answered Jul 20, 2016 at 1:00

To be in denial is a slightly different take on your query that focuses somewhat more on the mental state of the person in question. But it directly applies to cases where, as you say in your question, «something should be dealt with, but it’s kind of swept under the carpet by the misleading phrase.»

in denial: A condition in which someone will not admit that something sad, painful, etc., is true or real. — M-W

Example: «I think John is in denial about his alcohol problem. Whenever I try to talk to him about it, he just says that he has a few drinks every now and then.»

It is used most often in cases where Person A believes there’s a problem that should be dealt with and Person B (usually either the one who has the problem or one who’s consent or participation is necessary in order to deal with the problem) is unwilling or unable to recognize that the problem is as severe as Person A believes it to be.

Inspired by MadMaardigan’s «sexed up» answer, I suggest instead «sexed down».

E.g. from the BBC

The government has been accused of «sexing down» a draft report on alcohol misuse to prevent the study damaging the case for extending pub opening hours.

E.g. from businessinsider.com

LONDON (Reuters) — New delays to a major report into Britain’s role in the Iraq War sparked fears on Wednesday that the public would conclude an inquiry’s long-awaited findings had been «sexed down» to prevent criticism of former high-profile figures.

I can’t find a respectable dictionary definition, but see the «sexed up» answer for the definition of original idiom.

Note the term sweet lemons is used as a formal term in psycology as a defense mechanism.

Interestingly, it’s hard to find via Google as the actual tree and Thai restaurants dominate the results. But here is a textbook showing what I remember.

answered Jul 18, 2016 at 7:50

The word ‘prevaricate’ matches your definition exactly: telling the truth, strictly speaking, but by subtly distorting the facts to effectively lie.

Rose-Colored Glasses or Rose-Tinted Glasses

You could say that you are viewing a problem through rose-colored glasses.

optimistic eyes (views the world through rose-colored glasses)

There is a good discussion about the etymology of the phrase at the following link.

Origin of «Rose tinted glasses»?

A formal word for this is circumlocution, according to Cambridge Dictionary:

(an example of) an indirect way of saying something, especially something unpleasant

Cambridge Dictionary also provides to example sentences, these are quoted below:

«Economical with the truth» is a circumlocution for «lying».

Politicians are experts in circumlocution.

Attribution: «Circumlocution Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.» Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2018. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/circumlocution.

If it is more pro-actively made-up we can call it romanticizing

the free dictionary says romanticize is

v.tr.

To view or interpret romantically; make romantic.

v.intr.

To think in a romantic way.

Google says it means:

deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion; make (something) seem better or more appealing than it really is.

with the sample sentence:

«the tendency to romanticize non-industrial societies»

Wiktionary also adds:

(transitive) To interpret or view something in a romantic (unrealistic, idealized) manner.

How many words do you know that mean happy? What about sad? In today’s lesson you’ll learn LOTS of different ways to describe how you’re feeling. When you’re learning a language, it’s important to have a broad vocabulary. Whether you’re writing an essay or you’re speaking with your boss, using more interesting and expressive vocabulary will make your sentences clearer, and you’ll sound more intelligent, too. Try using the adjectives in this lesson instead of ordinary ones at work, school, or in the writing and speaking sections of exams like the IELTS, TOEFL, or CAE. You’ll also learn some common expressions and idioms that native speakers use to talk about their mood, like over the moon, happy bunny, and down in the dumps.

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