whitewashed
Made falsely clean
Whitewashed originally describes something coated with whitewash—a cheap white paint made from lime, used on fences and walls.
Figuratively, to whitewash is to cover up wrongdoing or present a sanitized version of events: The report whitewashed the company's role in the disaster.
More recently, whitewashed describes casting white actors in roles written for or historically belonging to people of color: Critics called the film whitewashed for its lack of Asian leads.
Edited for artificial perfection
- softenedMade less severe
- bowdlerizedEdited out indecencies
- expurgatedRemoved objectionable material
- prettifiedMade to look nicer
toned-down · sugar-coated · euphemized · censored · edited · redacted · omitted · watered-down
Shifted from proper location
- sanitizedCleansed of contaminants
- homogenizedMade uniformly consistent throughout
- sterilizedFreed from microorganisms
- commodifiedTurned into tradeable goods
upscaled · rebranded · corporatized · neutralized · defanged · mainstreamed · appropriated · co-opted
Made invisible deliberately
- obscuredMade hard to perceive
- hiddenKept out of sight
- disguisedConcealed true identity
- buriedPlaced beneath earth
camouflaged · veiled · smokescreen · misrepresented · distorted · falsified · manipulated · obfuscated
Treated with calcium coating
- paintedCoated with pigment
- plasteredExtremely intoxicated
- distemperedMentally or emotionally unsettled
- primedMade ready beforehand
rendered · stuccoed · resurfaced · sealed · veneered · glossed · tinted · frescoed
Removed by rubbing
- forgottenNo longer recalled
- unacknowledgedNot formally recognized
- silencedRendered unable to speak
- overlookedNot noticed or considered
neglected · disregarded · unrecognized · obliterated · effaced · expunged · deleted · lost
Depiction or likeness
- HollywoodAmerican film industry center
- yellowfaceStereotyped Asian portrayal
- brownfaceCosmetic racial mimicry
- miscastingAssigning unsuitable performers
erasure · stereotyping · diversity · authenticity · BIPOC · underrepresentation
airbrushed
Edited for artificial perfection
- softenedMade less severe
- bowdlerizedEdited out indecencies
- expurgatedRemoved objectionable material
prettified · toned-down · sugar-coated · euphemized · censored · edited · redacted · omitted · watered-down · diluted
displaced
Shifted from proper location
- sanitizedCleansed of contaminants
- homogenizedMade uniformly consistent throughout
- sterilizedFreed from microorganisms
commodified · upscaled · rebranded · corporatized · neutralized · defanged · mainstreamed · appropriated · co-opted · decontextualized
concealed
Made invisible deliberately
buried · camouflaged · veiled · smokescreen · misrepresented · distorted · falsified · manipulated · obfuscated · spun
limewashed
Treated with calcium coating
- paintedCoated with pigment
- plasteredExtremely intoxicated
- distemperedMentally or emotionally unsettled
primed · rendered · stuccoed · resurfaced · sealed · veneered · glossed · tinted · frescoed · lacquered
erased
Removed by rubbing
- forgottenNo longer recalled
- unacknowledgedNot formally recognized
- silencedRendered unable to speak
overlooked · neglected · disregarded · unrecognized · obliterated · effaced · expunged · deleted · lost · vanished
representation
Depiction or likeness
- HollywoodAmerican film industry center
- yellowfaceStereotyped Asian portrayal
- brownfaceCosmetic racial mimicry
miscasting · erasure · stereotyping · diversity · authenticity · BIPOC · underrepresentation
- PugliaTaranto, orecchiette, burrata, Gallipoli, panzerotti
- sugarcoatedsugarcoated, candy-coated, sweetened, honeyed, sugary
- furniture finishesdistressed, weathered, aged, lacquered, refinished
- HollywoodHollywood, Tinseltown, Hollywood Sign, silver screen, movie stars
- falsifiedfalsified, doctored, fabricated, fake, faked
- rejectedrejected, spurned, rebuffed, snubbed, refused
whitewashedexposed
Out in open
revealed · uncovered · laid bare · brought to light · unmasked
whitewashedunpainted
Lacking applied color
bare · stripped · uncoated · blackwashed · raw
whitewashedundefeated
Having never lost
victorious · dominant · triumphant · successful · swept
- whitewashed wallsSurfaces painted pale with lime