condiment
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- condimental adjective
- condimentary adjective
- noncondiment noun
- noncondimental adjective
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.
Fermine, a full-time dishwasher at First Watch, said he likes his co-workers and breakfast tacos during his shifts, but could live without cleaning out the condiment cups.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
But here’s the thing: that crusty, once-opened jar of kale pesto quietly haunting your condiment shelf?
From Salon • Mar. 19, 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
The thick, brown condiment - made primarily from yeast extract - was invented in the Victorian capital of Melbourne more than a century ago as an alternative to the British spread Marmite.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2025
It also seemed like a good omen to Green that the condiment was made in Durham, England.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
