Nazi Language

Words and phrases coined or reframed by the Nazi regime to support their ideology

The Nazi regime drew on neutral, matter-of-fact, and technical language as well as phrases related to cultural traditions for euphemisms that would hide - or render less conspicuous - the dehumanizing concepts and the bureaucracy-supported machinery of persecution and mass murder. Scientific terms were appropriated and instrumentalized to give the regime's ideology and actions the appearance of being grounded in science. Repeated over and over by the Nazi propaganda machine, this language was so ubiquitous many still use words like "Sonderbehandlung", or phrases like "Jedem das seine" today, unaware of their Nazi origins or history. To those in the know, these words can be offensive. They can bring up painful experiences and raise questions about the leanings of the person using them.