sweet

1 of 3

adjective

ˈswēt 

1

a

: being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is usually pleasing to the taste and typically induced by sugars (as sucrose or glucose) compare bitter entry 1 sense 1a, salty entry 1 sense 1b, sour entry 1 sense 1, umami entry 2

b(1)

of a beverage : containing a sweetening ingredient : not dry

(2)

of wine : retaining a portion of natural sugar

2

a

: pleasing to the mind or feelings : agreeable, gratifying

—often used as a generalized term of approval

how sweet it is

b

: marked by gentle good humor or kindliness

a sweet disposition

c

: fragrant

a sweet aroma

d(1)

: delicately pleasing to the ear or eye

a sweet melody

(2)

: played in a straightforward melodic style

sweet jazz

e

: saccharine, cloying

f

: very good or appealing

a sweet job offer

a sweet sports car

3

: much loved : dear

4

a

: not sour, rancid, decaying, or stale : wholesome

sweet milk

b

: not salt or salted : fresh

sweet water

sweet butter

c

: free from excessive acidity

—used especially of soil

d

: free from noxious gases and odors

e

: free from excess of acid, sulfur, or corrosive salts

sweet crude oil

5

: skillful, proficient

a sweet golf swing

6

—used as an intensive

take your own sweet time

sweetly adverb

sweetness noun

sweet

2 of 3

adverb

: in a sweet manner

sweet

3 of 3

noun

1

: something that is sweet to the taste: such as

a

: a food (such as a candy or preserve) having a high sugar content

fill up on sweets

b

British : dessert

c

British : hard candy

2

: the pleasant taste sensation typically produced by sugars (such as sucrose or glucose) compare bitter entry 2 sense 1b, salty entry 2, sour entry 2 sense 1b, umami entry 1

3

: a pleasant or gratifying experience, possession, or state

4

: darling, sweetheart

5

a

archaic : fragrance

b

sweets plural, archaic : things having a sweet smell

Phrases

sweet on

: having a crush on

Synonyms

Adjective

• beloved
• cherished
• darling
• dear
• fair-haired
• favored
• favorite
• fond
• loved
• pet
• precious
• special
• white-headed

Noun

• confection
• sweetmeat

Examples of sweet in a Sentence

Adjective

She likes her coffee sweet.

That candy is too sweet.

He's a really sweet guy.

She has a sweet smile.

It was sweet of her to take care of them.

Noun

I'm trying to cut down on sweets.

remember to brush your teeth after eating sweets

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In an Instagram post on Thanksgiving in 2020, Corcoran shared a photo of her and Higgins and a sweet message. —Makena Gera, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024

Snacks take all kinds of forms: A sweet coffee beverage in the middle of the afternoon can count as a snack. —Byphil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

For the pickle juice, stick with dill instead of sweet. —Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2024

The sweet eight-year-old American Bulldog has been under the care of AHS since he was found as a sick stray in November of last year. —The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024

This colorful drink is made with anejo (an aged tequila), orange liqueur, sweet vermouth, and fresh mint leaves for a cocktail that's sweet and a little bit sour. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024

She was served a menu of more than a dozen dishes, including roast goose and barbecued pork, shrimp dumplings, iced sweet and sour pork and egg tarts. —Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Plus at 27% off right now, that's a pretty sweet discount. —Gabriela Vatu, PCMAG, 5 Apr. 2024

In each episode, viewers are introduced not only to the sweet creations themselves, but also the stories of the local chefs, farmers, and artisans behind the sticky delicacies. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024

Adverb

As the Moon in your 7th House of Partnerships trines sweet-talking Venus in your 3rd House of Discussion, telling your story could convince other people who have a stake in the situation to help you. —Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2022

African American Sports and Entertainment Group spend the past year sweet-talking the WNBA about putting a new team in Oakland? —Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Oct. 2021

Noun

Now, with the arrival of the California desert morning, in walked Nathan, bright-eyed and bearing sweets. —Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Moon Pies are cookie-like sweets that the Chattanooga Bakery Inc. gets credit for inventing. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024

The sixth-generation family candy business, founded in 1895, still produces these iconic American sweets at their headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2024

Ramadan – a month marked by Muslims across the world with daytime fasting, followed by an evening of food, sweets, prayer, and charity – had continued in Gaza even at the height of the last four Israel-Hamas wars and amid a stifling 17-year Israeli and Egyptian blockade. —Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024

Stock up on the sweets tucked away like a secret behind Midtown Bakery’s blue door. —Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024

There's a wooden Korean window frame that holds sweets including a ginseng marshmallow and a sesame oil caramel. —Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024

These fluffy bite-sized sweets, one of our cutest ideas, are coated with cinnamon and brown sugar for a warm Valentine's brunch surprise. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Mar. 2024

Girls bought gummy worms at stands overflowing with sweets. —Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English swete, from Old English swēte; akin to Old High German suozi sweet, Latin suadēre to urge, suavis sweet, Greek hēdys

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sweet

• sticky-sweet
• in one's (own) sweet time
• sweet-and-sour
• sweet marjoram
• sweet nothings
• take one's (own) sweet time
• boiled sweet
• be sweet on
• sweet cherry
• sweet cicely
• sweet dreams
• sweet alyssum
• home sweet home
• keep someone sweet
• sweet bay
• sweet chocolate
• sweet birch
• sweet corn
• sweet pea
• sweet basil
• sweet FA
• sweet sorghum
• sweet flag
• sweet potato
• sweet pepper
• sweet tooth
• sweet talk
• sweet fern
• sweet gum
• sweet spot
• sweet clover
• sweet william
• keep it short and sweet
• sweet orange
• sweet on
• sweet woodruff
• whispering sweet nothings

Kids Definition

sweet

1 of 3 adjective

ˈswēt 

1

a

: pleasing to the taste

b

: being or causing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is caused especially by table sugar and is identified especially by the taste buds at the front of the tongue compare bitter sense 1, salt entry 3 sense 1b, sour entry 1 sense 1

c

: having a relatively large sugar content

sweet wine

2

a

: pleasing to the mind or feelings : agreeable

victory is sweet

b

: marked by gentle good humor or kindliness

a sweet elderly couple

c

: fragrant

a sweet smell

d

: delicately pleasing to the ear or eye

a sweet melody

e

: very good or appealing

a sweet sports car

a sweet deal

3

: much loved : dear

4

a

: not sour, stale, or spoiled

sweet milk

b

: not salt or salted : fresh

sweet butter

c

: not having too much acid

sweet soil

d

: free from foul gases and odors

5

—used as an intensive

take your own sweet time

sweetish

-ish

adjective

sweetly adverb

sweetness noun

sweet

2 of 3 adverb

: in a sweet way

sweet

3 of 3 noun

1

a

: a food (as a candy) having a high sugar content

b

British : dessert

2

: a sweet taste sensation

3

: a pleasant or agreeable experience, possession, or state

4

: darling entry 1 sense 1

Medical Definition

sweet

1 of 2 adjective

ˈswēt 

: being or inducing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is typically induced by disaccharides and is mediated especially by receptors in taste buds at the front of the tongue compare bitter, salt entry 2 sense 2, sour entry 1

sweetness noun

sweet

2 of 2 noun

1

: something that is sweet to the taste

especially : a food (as a candy or preserve) having a high sugar content

don't fill up on sweets

2

: a sweet taste sensation

Biographical Definition

Sweet

biographical name

ˈswēt 

Henry 1845–1912 English phonetician