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

Johnson, who has been perhaps the most vocal critic of the emerging package, did not sugarcoat his feelings after emerging from a meeting of the Senate GOP conference held to brief members on the bill. —Al Weaver, The Hill, 17 June 2025

This Ride Isn’t Smooth There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Lululemon has experienced dramatic declines during market corrections. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025

Refusing to sugarcoat Tityrus’s experience of our fetid and worn-out world, Wiese uncovers the daily pathos and absurdities of contemporary life. —Diana Arterian june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025

The director never sugarcoats life in the Big Apple for Lu, his family, nor for the rest of the striving migrant underclass. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 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