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to sanewash
01
to make something extreme, chaotic, or unconventional appear reasonable or acceptable
Slang
Grammatical Information
Composition
Simple
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
sanewash
3rd person singular
sanewashes
Present participle
sanewashing
Past simple
sanewashed
Past participle
sanewashed
What does "to sanewash" mean in media and politics slang?
The phrase "to sanewash" means to present or interpret extreme, irrational, or problematic statements or behavior in a way that makes them appear reasonable, normal, or less serious than they are. The structure is a portmanteau of "sane" and "whitewash," implying the smoothing over of something unstable or extreme. It is informal internet and media criticism slang commonly used in political commentary to describe downplaying or normalizing clearly unreasonable positions.
Examples
The studio tried to sanewash the movie's ridiculous plot.
Lexical Tree
sanewash
sane
wash
