saccharine

[sak-er-in, -uh-reen, -uh-rahyn]

adjective

1. of the nature of or resembling that of sugar.

   a powdery substance with a saccharine taste.

2. containing or yielding sugar.

3. very sweet to the taste; sugary.

   a saccharine dessert.

4. cloyingly agreeable or ingratiating.

   a saccharine personality.

5. exaggeratedly sweet or sentimental.

   a saccharine smile; a saccharine song of undying love.

saccharine

/ -ˌriːn, ˈsækəˌraɪn, ˌsækəˈrɪnɪtɪ /

adjective

1. excessively sweet; sugary

   a saccharine smile

2. of, relating to, of the nature of, or containing sugar or saccharin

Other Word Forms

• saccharinely adverb
• saccharinity noun
• nonsaccharine adjective
• nonsaccharinity noun
• unsaccharine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of saccharine¹

First recorded in 1665–75; sacchar- + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

It began with the score’s hit, “A Simple Song,” Bernstein at his most tuneful, even saccharine.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In this occasionally saccharine yet blithely comical piece of rich-people-problems autofiction, Clooney is the funniest he’s been in years, taking shots at himself and the life he’s chosen with a marksman’s aim.

Read more on Salon

And though he’s undeniably quixotic, PTA’s relentless urgency consistently overrides the sticky trappings of saccharine sentimentality that would snare less ambitious filmmakers.

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The coconut flavor from the milk was mild and the drink’s overall sweetness was perfect, not saccharine in the slightest.

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But don't expect saccharine stories of romance - this is Welsh, after all.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• cloying 
• sentimental 
• syrupy 
• twee