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Synonyms

condiment

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

noun

  • condiments
    plural
  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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


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.

See Examples For:

One trend centered on the “chamoy pickle”—a hollowed-out jumbo dill pickle typically filled with spicy chips or sour candy, coated with the Mexican condiment chamoy and wrapped in a Fruit Roll-Up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the short term, new Heinz condiment stations and custom-designed equipment will be installed throughout the parks, the companies said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Then foreigners tasted it, lost their minds and turned a condiment into the World Cup’s unlikeliest phenomenon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Sriracha is my go-to condiment for a Thai coconut soup, also known as Tom Kha Phak.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Plus she had laid out every kind of condiment you could imagine—onions, relish, shredded cheese, bacon bits—which was weird because Bobby Gene and I were ketchup and mustard all the way.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

They have a great all-you-can-eat menu with really great meats and an assortment of sauces and condiments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

An investigation into the unsung hero of condiments: Relish is the ideal summer ingredient.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

So here’s a look at some of the star players, brands — and even condiments and comfort foods — that have already won this year’s World Cup.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Like many of my favorite summer condiments, its greatest strength is versatility.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

“Yeah, Google was pretty useless in that regard,” Maya said as she arranged her condiments in front of her.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

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