confection

American  

[kuhn-fek-shuhn] / kənˈfɛk ʃən /

noun

1. a sweet preparation of fruit or the like, as a preserve or candy.

2. the process of compounding, preparing, or making something.

3. a frivolous, amusing, or contrived play, book, or other artistic or literary work.

4. something made up or confected; a concoction.

   He said the charges were a confection of the local police.

5. something, as a garment or decorative object, that is very delicate, elaborate, or luxurious and usually nonutilitarian.

6. Pharmacology. a medicated preparation made with the aid of sugar, honey, syrup, or the like.

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to prepare as a confection.

confection British  

/ kənˈfɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of compounding or mixing

2. any sweet preparation of fruit, nuts, etc, such as a preserve or a sweet

3. old-fashioned an elaborate article of clothing, esp for women

4. informal anything regarded as overelaborate or frivolous

   the play was merely an ingenious confection

5. a medicinal drug sweetened with sugar, honey, etc

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Etymology

Origin of confection

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English confeccioun, from Latin confectiōn- (stem of confectiō ) “preparation, conclusion, completion”; confect, -ion

Explanation

A confection is a food loaded with sugar. Chocolate layer cake, strawberry lollipops, and vanilla bonbons are all confections. Yum! Do you have a sweet tooth? Then you love confections, which are sweet treats such as cakes and candies and all manner of food that’s full of sugary deliciousness. The candy aisle is loaded with confections. Bakeries sell confections too, like cupcakes. A confection is almost always a delicious dessert. Just make sure you eat your vegetables before you eat any confections!

Example Sentences

Salty snacks and sugar confection are gaining share, with health trends and GLP-1 drugs influencing consumer choices.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

In sugar confection, products like gummy clusters have gained traction, while in salty snacks, better-for-you ingredients are fueling growth.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

See’s Candies, founded in Los Angeles in 1921, makes a “St. Patrick’s Day potato” using divinity — a nougat-like, marshmallowy confection — mixed with walnut, coated in chocolate, and rolled in cocoa powder and cinnamon.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

For example, Mr. Mansfield dismisses the idea of a Judeo-Christian tradition as a Hegelian confection.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Now I saw he’d ordered the best thing in the house, this gorgeous, frothy confection of an earlier age.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• cake
• candy
• pastry