sweeten

verb

sweet·​en ˈswē-tᵊn 

sweetened; sweetening ˈswē-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈswēt-niŋ

transitive verb

1

: to make sweet

2

: to soften the mood or attitude of

3

: to make less painful or trying

4

: to free from a harmful or undesirable quality or substance

especially : to remove sulfur compounds from

sweeten natural gas

5

: to make more valuable or attractive

sweeten the deal

: such as

a

: to increase (a pot not won on the previous deal) by anteing prior to another deal

b

: to place additional securities as collateral for (a loan)

intransitive verb

: to become sweet

sweetener

ˈswēt-nər, 

ˈswē-tᵊn-ər 

noun

Synonyms of sweeten

• candy
• enhance
• improve
• spruce

Examples of sweeten in a Sentence

He sweetened his cereal a little.

He sweetened the deal with a large signing bonus.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fried chicken will be encrusted in Corn Flakes and an ice cream sundae will be sweetened with Cap’n Crunch Berries. —Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 14 Nov. 2025

This can lead to a spike in blood sugar levels if heavily sweetened. —T'keyah Bazin, Verywell Health, 13 Nov. 2025

His view was sweetened after the White House announced a GLP-1 deal with Lilly and rival Novo Nordisk last week, which will lower prices for some of Lilly’s weight-loss drugs for Medicare and Medicare beneficiaries in 2026. —Morgan Chittum,paulina Likos, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2025

Cooks use honey to sweeten and moisten baked goods, mellow vinaigrettes, and balance sweet-and-sour sauces. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing sweeten

• pre-sweeten
• sugar/sweeten the pill
• sweeten up

Rhymes for sweeten

• beaten
• cretin
• eaten
• teton
• wheaten
• phenacetin
• sisseton
• unbeaten
• uneaten
• wahpeton

Kids Definition

sweeten

verb

sweet·​en ˈswēt-ᵊn 

sweetened; sweetening ˈswēt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become sweet

sweetener

ˈswēt-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

noun