sugary
Americanadjective
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of, containing, or resembling sugar.
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sweet; excessively sweet.
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honeyed; cloying; deceitfully agreeable.
sugary words of greeting.
adjective
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of, like, or containing sugar
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containing too much sugar; excessively sweet
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deceptively pleasant; insincere
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sugary
Explanation
Something that's literally sugary is extremely sweet, like a sugary root beer float. If something is figuratively sugary, it's overly sentimental. Candy corn, soft drinks, and jelly beans are all sugary — and so is the sappy Valentine's Day card your sister wrote to her crush. The adjective sugary comes from sugar, an English word that, unusually, traces its origin back to Sanskrit. Sugar comes from sharkara, "ground or candied sugar."
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.
Sugary and fatty foods have become common at birthday parties, school events, sports activities, and even as rewards for good behavior.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2026
He took part in reunion tours with The Specials but most recently had been performing with The Neville Staple Band alongside his wife and manager Christine "Sugary" Staple.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2024
Sugary drinks are youngsters’ main source of added sugar, she said, adding that nearly two-thirds of them have such a drink every day.
From Washington Times • May 3, 2023
Sugary beverage consumption, for instance, which rose among teenagers in the 1980s and 1990s, has been linked with an increased risk of early occurrences of the condition.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 27, 2023
Sugary things, cups of coffee, rides to school were not enough.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
