sweetness and light

noun

|Updated on: 22 Jul 2018

Definition of sweetness and light

1 : a harmonious combination of beauty and enlightenment viewed as a hallmark of culture

2 a : amiable reasonableness of disposition

they were all sweetness and light

b : an untroubled or harmonious state or condition

but all was not sweetness and light

Recent Examples of sweetness and light from the Web

Also unwelcome would be the public tongue-lashings Mr Xi might face from an American president who is currently all sweetness and light in his personal expressions towards China’s leader.

— The Economist, "In its trade war with America, China dials down the hype," 12 July 2018
The start of Twins of Evil: The Second Coming Tour was, by contrast, all sweetness and light -- or, given the musical tenor of their two shows, sweetness and heavy.

— gary graff, Billboard, "Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson Unite For Beatles Cover as 'Twins Of Evil 2' Tour Kicks Off In Detroit," 12 July 2018
What sounds like sweetness and light is the result of his six 12-hour-plus days (closed Sunday), which includes overlapping three-day processes to make the croissants.

— debbi snook, cleveland.com, "Cleveland's Fluffy Duck Cafe specializes in croissants, breads (photos, review)," 5 Apr. 2018
Yes, right away the movie dispenses with the sweetness and light and lyricism of the books by Beatrix Potter.

— glenn kenny, New York Times, "Review: This ‘Peter Rabbit’ Is No Beatrix Potter, but It’s Not All Bad," 8 Feb. 2018
In Japan the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, intends everything to be sweetness and light.

— The Economist, "Fore!Donald Trump’s agenda in Asia is a mystery," 2 Nov. 2017
Maybe the role of unexpectedly black foods is to disrupt the everyday, to remind us that not everything is sweetness and light.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "The Allure of Black-Colored Food," 21 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sweetness and light.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.