sugarcoating

American  

[shoog-er-koh-ting] / ˈʃʊg ərˌkoʊ tɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of covering something with sugar.

2. a coating or layer of sugar or a sugary substance.

3. a thing used to make something else considered unpleasant or disagreeable seem attractive or palatable.

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Etymology

Origin of sugarcoating

First recorded in 1905–10; sugar + coat + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

There was no sugarcoating how disappointed Brentwood players and coaches felt last week in suffering a 16-point drubbing by Crossroads in their Gold Coast League opener.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

BENTONVILLE, Ark.—Walmart WMT 0.36%increase; green up pointing triangle executives aren’t sugarcoating the message: Artificial intelligence will wipe out some jobs and reshape its workforce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 27, 2025

There’s no sugarcoating with Finney-Smith, a player who’s helping transform the Lakers’ identity in his first month with the team.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2025

“There are no excuses, and there is no sugarcoating what has happened. We need to double down on safety, transparency and community engagement.”

From Washington Times • Nov. 21, 2023

Anyway, even if she’s sugarcoating my good points, I appreciate it.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins