sweetened; sweetening
ˈswē-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈswēt-niŋ
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)
: to become sweet
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
The moody Moon is joining romantic Venus in your 6th House of Responsibilities, which sweetens routines and invites gentle cooperation.
—
Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
But for weeks, industry observers have been waiting for Paramount to sweeten the deal by raising its bid by $2 or $3 per share.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026
On top of a cash prize of $211,000 for gold, Poland sweetens the deal with one of the most unusual bonus packages in Olympic history.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
The filling utilizes whole lemons (except the seeds), sliced thin and macerated in sugar for several hours (or overnight) to soften and sweeten the peel, and then combined with a custard filling.
—Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
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Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
But for weeks, industry observers have been waiting for Paramount to sweeten the deal by raising its bid by $2 or $3 per share.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026
On top of a cash prize of $211,000 for gold, Poland sweetens the deal with one of the most unusual bonus packages in Olympic history.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
The filling utilizes whole lemons (except the seeds), sliced thin and macerated in sugar for several hours (or overnight) to soften and sweeten the peel, and then combined with a custard filling.
—Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
Cite this Entry
“Sweeten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweeten. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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