confection

noun

con·​fec·​tion kən-ˈfek-shən 

1

: the act or process of confecting

2

: something confected: such as

a

: a fancy dish or sweetmeat

also : a sweet food

b

: a medicinal preparation usually made with sugar, syrup, or honey

c

: a work of fine or elaborate craftsmanship

d

: a light but entertaining theatrical, cinematic, or literary work

Did you know?

As a wise blue monster with a famous sweet tooth once noted, “c” is for cookie. And sure, that’s good enough for us, but sometimes the moment calls for a wide variety of delectables, not just cookies. In such times, you might remember that “c” is also for confection. Confection is a word that refers to something confected—that is, put together—from several different ingredients or elements. Often confections are sweet and edible, but confection can also be used to refer to a finely worked piece of craftsmanship. In other words, the lacy box containing chocolate confections can be a confection itself. Tracing back to the Latin verb conficere (“to carry out, perform, make, bring about, collect, bring to completion”), confection entered Middle English as the word confeccioun, meaning “preparation by mixing ingredients; something prepared by mixing, such as a medicine or dish of food,” and has since taken on additional, often figurative meanings in English in the ensuing centuries, as in “the beloved musical confection ‘C is for Cookie.’”

Synonyms

• sweet
• sweetmeat

Examples of confection in a Sentence

an assortment of delicious cakes and other confections

following the main course there were assorted confections so delicious-looking as to tempt even determined dieters

Recent Examples on the Web

Jiang by Chef Fei is one of three restaurants with two Michelin stars in Guangzhou; for a more casual treat, sit for a while in the lobby’s very Instagrammable cake shop, where intricate confections, available with coffee and tea, are displayed in elegant glass cases. —Bonnie Tsui, AFAR Media, 6 May 2025

In 2019, at a fund-raising dinner in Washington, a smiling Mr. Akufo-Addo cut into a large gray, square confection — the planned cathedral rendered in cake. —Francis Kokoroko, New York Times, 3 May 2025

Meanwhile, Theodorou’s Sweet Shop is beloved for its Cycladic confections, including the Greek almond cookie amygdalota. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2025

From headquarters in the city’s most upscale mixed-use building, The Main Las Olas, BBX Capital operates subsidiaries ranging from real estate development to logistics to retail confections to door manufacturing and wholesaling. —David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confeccioun "preparation by mixing ingredients, something prepared by mixing, as a medicine or dish of food," borrowed from Anglo-French confectiun, confeccion, borrowed from Medieval Latin confectiōn-, confectiō, going back to Latin, "making ready for use, preparation," from conficere "to carry out, perform, make, bring about, collect, bring to completion" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at confect

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for confection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction
• defection

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Kids Definition

confection

noun

con·​fec·​tion kən-ˈfek-shən 

: a fancy dish or sweet

Etymology

Middle English confectioun "mixture, candy," from early French confection "mixture," derived from Latin conficere "to prepare," from con-, com- "together" and -ficere, from facere "to make, do" — related to fashion

Medical Definition

confection

noun

con·​fec·​tion kən-ˈfek-shən 

: a medicinal preparation usually made with sugar, syrup, or honey

called also electuary