sugarcoating

American

[shoog-er-koh-ting] / ˈʃʊg ərˌkoʊ tɪŋ /

noun

the act or process of covering something with sugar.
a coating or layer of sugar or a sugary substance.
a thing used to make something else considered unpleasant or disagreeable seem attractive or palatable.

Etymology

Origin of sugarcoating

First recorded in 1905–10; sugar + coat + -ing 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.

“We’re not sugarcoating it because they’re children,” said Christine Pope, an academic support coordinator in Knox county.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

“But you can’t do that if you’re sugarcoating it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025

BENTONVILLE, Ark.—Walmart WMT 0.36%increase; green up pointing triangle executives aren’t sugarcoating the message: Artificial intelligence will wipe out some jobs and reshape its workforce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 27, 2025

“There is no sugarcoating it - I needed to be better to give my teammates a chance.”

From Washington Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Anyway, even if she’s sugarcoating my good points, I appreciate it.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023