condiment
Americannoun
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing condiment
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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"My English" and "How I Learned English"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 6–August 12, 2022
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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.
Marmalade has long been a quintessential British condiment, with some recipes handed down between multiple generations.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
The company said Wednesday that it is pausing work on a planned split between its condiment and grocery staples businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026
We especially enjoyed the empanadas criollas, beef with olives and raisins and deboned whole-fried yellowtail, served with Haitian pikliz, a pickled vegetable condiment, and Guasacaca, a Venezuelan avocado salsa.
From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026
A convicted murderer in the state of Victoria has sued the prisons commissioner over his lack of access to the quintessentially Australian condiment.
From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025
Before leaving work, I scrub everything down and refill the already stuffed condiment bar.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
