sweeten

verb

sweet·​en ˈswē-tᵊn 

sweetened; sweetening ˈswēt-niŋ 

ˈswē-tᵊn-iŋ

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

• candy
• dress up
• enhance

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

An Ellison transaction probably would trigger shareholder lawsuits, despite Skydance’s efforts to quell the brewing rebellion by sweetening the deal with a $3-billion cash infusion and by earmarking money for nonvoting stockholders, which would lower Redstone’s take. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2024

Talcum powder and toilet water sweetened his smell. —Larry Tye, Fortune, 4 May 2024

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

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