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Synonyms

condiment

American  
[kon-duh-muhnt] / ˈkɒn də mənt /

noun

  1. something used to give a special flavor to food, as mustard, ketchup, salt, or spices.


condiment British  
/ ˈkɒndɪmənt /

noun

  1. any spice or sauce such as salt, pepper, mustard, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of condiment

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin condīmentum spice, equivalent to condī ( re ) to season + -mentum -ment

Explanation

A condiment adds flavor to food. Ketchup and mustard are popular condiments. Most people use condiments when they eat. There are lots of salad dressings, and they're all condiments. If you put relish on a hot dog, that's a condiment too. Barbecue sauce and blue cheese are condiments as well. If it's an extra thing — especially a sauce like ranch dressing — and it makes food taste better, it's probably a condiment.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing condiment

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.

Condiment purists may disagree with this, but to the average person's tastebuds, Miracle Whip and mayonnaise are fundamentally interchangeable.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2022

In the war between the "Ketchup is a Garbage Condiment" and "I Put Ketchup on my Ketchup" crowds, I consider myself a neutral party.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2021

Mr. Freeze isn’t the only old-school Batman villain to make an appearance; there are also brief appearances by Two-Face, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Bane and even the Condiment King.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2017

But that lunch was perfection: Perfect Rice melded with its Perfect Condiment, the sum greater than its parts.

From New York Times • Feb. 19, 2015

"Ah, yes—look!" said Mrs. Condiment, lifting up the rug and revealing a large drop, some four feet square, that was kept up in its place by a short iron bolt.

From Hidden Hand by Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte