sugarcoat

verb

sug·​ar·​coat ˈshu̇-gər-ˌkōt 

sugarcoated; sugarcoating; sugarcoats

transitive verb

1

: to coat with sugar

2

: to make superficially attractive or palatable

Examples of sugarcoat in a Sentence

She has very strong opinions, and she doesn't try to sugarcoat them.

Recent Examples on the Web

What Compassionate Leadership Looks Like Compassionate leadership doesn’t mean avoiding hard decisions or sugarcoating the truth. —Kiran Mann, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Nunemaker said the search committee tried to give Sajet a realistic picture of the museum, the board and Milwaukee as a place to live without sugarcoating or underselling anything. —Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025

There’s no way to sugarcoat that. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2025

Listen and learn With the first day of school less than two weeks away, Townsel does not sugarcoat the district’s challenges of retention and recruitment of teachers and addressing special education woes with staff shortages and a high number of students placed in out-of-district programs. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from sugarcoated

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sugarcoat

• anecdote
• antidote
• asymptote
• creosote
• dimethoate
• epidote
• ferryboat
• motorboat
• overcoat
• petticoat
• riverboat
• undercoat

Kids Definition

sugarcoat

verb

sug·​ar·​coat ˌshu̇g-ər-ˈkōt 

: to coat with or as if with sugar