saccharin

noun

sac·​cha·​rin ˈsa-k(ə-)rən 

: a crystalline compound C₇H₅NO₃S that is unrelated to the carbohydrates, is several hundred times sweeter than sucrose, and is used as a calorie-free sweetener

Examples of saccharin in a Sentence

soft drinks flavored with saccharin

Recent Examples on the Web

These start with different illustrations of down-home life that gradually give way to drawings of fires, mayhem and syringes plunged into eyeballs as a saccharin-sweet song from sisterly duo Patience and Prudence plays. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025

The specific sweeteners included in the study were aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and tagatose, according to the study's press release. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025

When looking at individual sweeteners, consuming acesulfame-K, aspartame, erythritol, saccharin, sorbitol and xylitol was associated with a faster decline in overall cognition, particularly in memory. —Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

While the study didn't identify which artificial sweeteners were at play, likely types include aspartame, saccharin and sucralose. —New Atlas, 29 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

saccharin

noun

sac·​cha·​rin ˈsak-(ə-)rən 

: a very sweet white substance that is used as a calorie-free sweetener

Etymology

derived from Latin saccharum "sugar," from Greek sakcharon "sugar"; of Sanskrit origin

Medical Definition

saccharin

noun

sac·​cha·​rin ˈsak-(ə-)rən 

: a crystalline cyclic imide C₇H₅NO₃S that is unrelated to the carbohydrates, is several hundred times sweeter than sucrose, and is used as a calorie-free sweetener

called also benzosulfimide, gluside