euphemism

a mild word used in place of a harsher one

Euphemism is good speech used gently: a softer phrase carries something hard without striking the listener directly.

Calling layoffs a restructuring is a euphemism if it hides the human cost.

A euphemism can be kind, evasive, or both. The roots keep the idea clear: eu- gives good or gentle; phem gives speech. The word is about how a hard thing gets spoken.