Skip to main content
Urban Dictionary Merch
Your favorite words on things you can wear, drink from, read, or give to a friend.
The Urban Dictionary Store sells gifts you’ll have to explain.

sanewashing

Attempting to downplay a person or idea's radicality to make it more palatable to the general public. This is often done by claiming that the radicals are taken out of context, don't truly represent the movement, or that opponents' arguments about its severity are wrong. Oftentimes, the person doing the sanewashing isn't radical themselves—they may be doing so because they genuinely don't believe the movement to be radical, or are trying to justify to themselves how they can support a radical movement.

A portmanteau of "sane" + "whitewashing" (portraying something as better than it is). Coined on the /r/neoliberal subreddit in late 2020 to describe progressives who misrepresent radical stances.
"/r/antiwork isn't about not wanting to work at all, it's about wanting to reform wage labor to make it less exploitative."
"Stop sanewashing it, I found a video of the head moderator who says 20 hours of dog-walking is too labor-intensive."
sanewashing by admiralakbar1 April 22, 2022
Word of the Day on September 14, 2024

Spacewashing

1) The process by which corporations, governments and individuals promote the development of space technologies and programs to mask extractive and exploitative industrial practices, distract attention from social, environmental or economic problems, and/or to gain financial, military or political advantage.

2) Sending our dirty laundry to space.

cf: greenwashing
The race between Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos is at best a dick measuring contest and at worst spacewashing of the first order - it leverages science fictions to hide corporate greed and military interests, whilst simultaneously distracting us from the imminent environmental collapse of the Earth.
Spacewashing by The Golden Girl July 18, 2021
More from Urban Dictionary
Being ignored by someone when making a statement or asking a question. Also known as blanked and turfed.
Person 1: Did u watch ** last nite?
Person 2:......
Person 3: O no u got aired!
aired by Pietro February 9, 2005
Word of the Day on October 10, 2026

piddlefart

Instead of doing my homework, I decided to piddlefart around for two hours.
piddlefart by Rene April 25, 2005
Word of the Day on October 9, 2026
anyone who succeeds in disgracing/over indulging themselves in the throws of clubland
28 hours and 4 clubs later, gurning for england but still refusing to go home - a total wrongun!!
wrongun by bevvers March 21, 2007
Word of the Day on October 8, 2026

square grouper

Nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes. Origin is reportedly from members of the US Coast Guard in the area of Southern Florida.
"Base we've got some square groupers floating outside of Miami harbor."
square grouper by slipsheet November 6, 2004
Word of the Day on October 7, 2026
A girl who does ballet and only talks about ballet. Her schedule is filled with dance classes which does not allow her to do any other activity.
"Hey, do you know that girl Sally?"

"Yeah, she's kind of annoying. All she ever talks about it ballet."

"Wow, what a Bunhead."

"Hey Sally, you want to hang out this weekend?"
"I can't, I have dance."
"You're such a Bunhead."

"Yeah... I know."
Bunhead by Jen00 October 24, 2014
Word of the Day on October 6, 2026

trucker's tan 

A sunburn or suntan focused on the left arm. It is caused by the left side of the body being the only half that gets exposed to sunlight while driving. Presumably, it would be located on the right side of the body in countries where they drive on the left side of the road.
I had a trucker's tan after driving for 10 straight hours on a sunny day.
Word of the Day on October 5, 2026
Load more