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• sweet
  sweet

  adjective

  having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.
• Sweet
  Sweet

  noun

  Henry, 1845–1912, English philologist and linguist.

sweet

¹ American  

[sweet] / swit /

adjective

• sweeter,
  comparative
• sweetest
  superlative

1. having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.

   Synonyms:

   sugary

2. producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, sour, or salt.

3. not rancid or stale; fresh.

   This milk is still sweet.

4. not salt or salted.

   sweet butter.

5. pleasing to the ear; making a delicate, pleasant, or agreeable sound; musical.

   Synonyms:

   mellifluous, melodious

6. pleasing or fresh to the smell; fragrant; perfumed.

   Synonyms:

   aromatic, redolent

7. pleasing or agreeable; delightful.

8. amiable; kind or gracious, as a person, action, etc.

   Synonyms:

   charming, lovable, winning

9. dear; beloved; precious.

10. easily managed; done or effected without effort.

11. (of wine) not dry; containing unfermented, natural sugar.

12. (of a cocktail) made with a greater proportion of vermouth than usual.

13. sentimental, cloying, or unrealistic.

    a sweet painting of little kittens.

14. (of air) fresh; free from odor, staleness, excess humidity, noxious gases, etc.

15. free from acidity or sourness, as soil.

16. Chemistry.

    1. devoid of corrosive or acidic substances.

    2. (of fuel oil or gas) containing no sulfur compounds.

17. (of jazz or big band music) performed with a regular beat, moderate tempo, lack of improvisation, and an emphasis on warm tone and clearly outlined melody.

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adverb

1. in a sweet manner; sweetly.

interjection

1. Slang. (used to express approval, admiration, satisfaction, pleasure, etc..

   I hear she got a promotion. Sweet!

noun

• sweets
  plural

1. a sweet flavor, smell, or sound; sweetness.

2. something that is sweet or causes or gives a sweet flavor, smell, or sound.

3. sweets,

   1. candy, pie, cake, and other foods high in sugar content.

   2. Informal. sweet potatoes.

4. Chiefly British.

   1. a piece of candy; confection or bonbon.

   2. a sweet dish or dessert, as a pudding or tart.

5. something pleasant to the mind or feelings.

6. a beloved person.

7. Often sweets (in direct address) darling; sweetheart.

   Yes, my sweet.

idioms

1. sweet on, infatuated with; in love with.

   He's sweet on her.

2. short and sweet. see short and sweet.

Sweet ² American  

[sweet] / swit /

noun

1. Henry, 1845–1912, English philologist and linguist.

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sweet ¹ British  

/ swiːt /

adjective

1. having or denoting a pleasant taste like that of sugar

2. agreeable to the senses or the mind

   sweet music

3. having pleasant manners; gentle

   a sweet child

4. (of wine, etc) having a relatively high sugar content; not dry

5. (of foods) not decaying or rancid

   sweet milk

6. not salty

   sweet water

7. free from unpleasant odours

   sweet air

8. containing no corrosive substances

   sweet soil

9. (of petrol) containing no sulphur compounds

10. sentimental or unrealistic

11. individual; particular

    the electorate went its own sweet way

12. jazz performed with a regular beat, with the emphasis on clearly outlined melody and little improvisation

13. slang satisfactory or in order; all right

14. archaic respected; dear (used in polite forms of address)

    sweet sir

15. smooth and precise; perfectly executed

    a sweet shot

16. fond of or infatuated with

17. to ingratiate oneself in order to ensure cooperation

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adverb

1. informal in a sweet manner

noun

1. a sweet taste or smell; sweetness in general

2. (often plural) any of numerous kinds of confectionery consisting wholly or partly of sugar, esp of sugar boiled and crystallized ( boiled sweets )

3. a pudding, fruit, or any sweet dish served as a dessert

4. dear; sweetheart (used as a form of address)

5. anything that is sweet

6. (often plural) a pleasurable experience, state, etc

   the sweets of success

7. See sweet potato

Sweet ² British  

noun

1. Henry. 1845–1912, English philologist; a pioneer of modern phonetics. His books include A History of English Sounds (1874)

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sweet More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sweet

• short and sweet
• take the bitter with the sweet

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oversweetness
  noun
• supersweetness
  noun
• sweetness
  noun
• nonsweet
  adjective
• oversweet
  adjective
• supersweet
  adjective
• sweetish
  adjective
• oversweetly
  adverb
• supersweetly
  adverb
• sweetly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sweets
  plural

Adjectives

• sweeter
  comparative
• sweetest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of sweet

First recorded before 900; (adjective and adverb) Middle English swet(e), Old English swēte (adjective); (noun) Middle English swet(e), derivative of the adjective; cognate with Old Saxon swōti, Old High German swuozi ( German süss ); akin to Dutch zoet, Old Norse sætr, Gothic suts, Sanskrit svādú-, Greek hēdýs, hādýs “sweet,” Latin suāvis “pleasant” and suādēre “to recommend”

Explanation

Food that’s sweet is full of sugar, bad for your teeth, but oh so tasty. People who are sweet are super nice, like that sweet lunch lady who gives you an extra cookie. Sweet can be an adjective or a noun. It can describe something pleasing to the senses, like a sweet song, or when you're playing basketball and get nothing but net. Sweet! As a noun, it's a confection, a little something for dessert. The poet Khalil Gibran said, “Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.” Don’t opportunistically take your friends for granted, or you could become the target of some sweet revenge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweet Sweet sweets sweeter sweetest

Then choose from these options: original, brief, sweet, chill and sassy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Some of my better local farmers markets sell it in sweet little rounds, but you can also buy it from your local supermarket.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

One year earlier, the band had released “Love,” a pleasantly sweet, folky, country-adjacent tune that melts easily into eardrums.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

It’s sweet, tangy, and pickley—the perfect complement to backyard cookouts.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

I’m not sure one sweet girl cancels out two wild boys, but arguing seems pointless.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

He later worked on their track Sweet Song from 2003's Think Thank.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

These days, the temperature inside the kitchen at Sweet Red Peach bakery is at least 93 degrees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

In September 1925 a young African-American physician, Ossian Sweet, moved into the home he and his wife had recently purchased on Garland Street in Detroit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Meanwhile, Sweet congratulated Accenture’s “approximately 124,000 people who were promoted this fiscal year, a 30% increase over last year, including more than 900 who were promoted to managing director,” according to a FactSet transcript.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

Sweet potatoes and pumpkins would store for weeks or even months.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

That was when the 30-year-old from Kettering adopted the mantra of "shy girls don't get sweets" and she ended up three shots behind.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Catherine, meanwhile, had run to seed and spent as much time as possible lying in bed eating sweets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

WSJ: How are consumers responding to new restrictions on what shoppers can buy with food stamps, including sweets in some states?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

The meals - simple but filling - include meat curries, flatbreads, kebabs, fruits and sweets, reflecting Lucknow's rich culinary tradition.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

“I’ve been hankering sweets something awful. My gran used to whip up cakes out of nothing. I figured I could do the same.”

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

It’s essentially something between olive oil and olio santo, except it’s a little sweeter and less spicy.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

Victory was made even sweeter for scorer Ben Waine by the fact that he is a boyhood fan of Sunderland's big rivals Newcastle.

From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026

“They are in a much sweeter spot for a big tax refund season and a middle income and up geared stimulus. And they’ve got easy comparisons,” he said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

Tenney, who was sweet and funny on “The Closer,” and who we don’t see enough of these days, is sweeter and funnier here, and gets to sing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026

It was deep, ragged, desperate howling, followed by a higher, sweeter, more piping sort of howl.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

It might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted—and was the only drink I couldn’t finish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

These days, Thompson’s music is among the sweetest.

From Salon ● May 15, 2026

“He had the biggest heart and the sweetest soul,” the fundraiser for the family said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

"The first title is always the sweetest compared to the others, but this eighth one is a kind of confirmation. Nobody would have thought that one day De Vlaeminck's record would be broken," he said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

“Oh, you kids are the best. Merci mille foes! This is the sweetest gift ever.”

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• appealing
• beautiful
• charming
• delightful
• engaging
• generous
• gentle
• lovable
• loving
• luscious
• mild
• mushy
• pleasant
• pleasing
• tender