Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

saccharine

American  
[sak-er-in, -uh-reen, -uh-rahyn] / ˈsæk ər ɪn, -əˌrin, -əˌraɪn /

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 British  
/ -ˌriːn, ˈsækəˌraɪn, ˌsækəˈrɪnɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. excessively sweet; sugary

    a saccharine smile

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

"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

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

Etymology

Origin of saccharine

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

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.

Stories about friendships between animals must walk a fine line between the sweet and the saccharine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Many parfaits tip into the saccharine — all sweetness, no tension.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

So are saccharine dishes like the cranberry orange relish that Michael Donnelly-Boylen sweetened with long pours of sugar into a food processor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

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

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

He had brought an envelope full of Victory Coffee and some saccharine tablets.

From "1984" by George Orwell

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.