sugarcoat
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cover with sugar.
to sugarcoat a pill.
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to make (something difficult or distasteful) appear more pleasant or acceptable.
There was no way to sugarcoat the bad news.
Etymology
Origin of sugarcoat
Vocabulary lists containing sugarcoat
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As amiable as the movie is from the jump, it wastes no time thrusting viewers into a world in complete peril, refusing to sugarcoat the modern realities of a once-robust industry.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026
“No way to sugarcoat it: The S&P 500 is expensive,” BofA Securities wrote in a Dec. 31 research note.
From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026
“I don’t want to sugarcoat it: The challenges are considerable, and COP30 won’t put the world on track for 1.5 °C,” said Anna Aberg, research fellow, at think tank Chatham House’s Environment and Society Center.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
Teresa helped him, and Thomas asked her to sugarcoat the trip as much as she could, even if she had to flat-out lie, which was mostly the case.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
