# Are people afraid to say "died" or "dead" when talking about the deceased? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 8, 2023, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-afraid-to-say-died-or-dead-when-talking-about-the-deceased/979479 "2023-02-08T12:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-afraid-to-say-died-or-dead-when-talking-about-the-deceased/979479/81 "2023-02-13T22:20:56Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Passed on, passed away, passed, gone to his reward - I hear these euphemisms all the time. But I hardly ever hear someone say “He died.” or “She’s dead.” > > Are the “d” words considered to be too harsh or something? Do you feel uncomfortable using them? Does it unnerve you to hear them? I actually make a point of only using “died” or “dead” as often as possible; euphemism should be avoided, I believe, in this circumstance. No doubt, however, these sorts of euphemisms are usually a person’s attempt to be gentle and kind. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-afraid-to-say-died-or-dead-when-talking-about-the-deceased/979479/82 "2023-02-14T02:20:37Z")
My mom died at the end of August. I’ve never thought to describe it otherwise. She died due to complications from metastatic breast cancer. Sadly, she’s dead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-afraid-to-say-died-or-dead-when-talking-about-the-deceased/979479.md?page=4)