sweet
[sweet]
- having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.
- producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, sour, or salt.
- not rancid or stale; fresh: This milk is still sweet.
- not salt or salted: sweet butter.
- pleasing to the ear; making a delicate, pleasant, or agreeable sound; musical.
- pleasing or fresh to the smell; fragrant; perfumed.
- pleasing or agreeable; delightful.
- amiable; kind or gracious, as a person, action, etc.
- dear; beloved; precious.
- easily managed; done or effected without effort.
- (of wine) not dry; containing unfermented, natural sugar.
- (of a cocktail) made with a greater proportion of vermouth than usual.
- sentimental, cloying, or unrealistic: a sweet painting of little kittens.
- (of air) fresh; free from odor, staleness, excess humidity, noxious gases, etc.
- free from acidity or sourness, as soil.
- Chemistry.
- devoid of corrosive or acidic substances.
- (of fuel oil or gas) containing no sulfur compounds.
- (of jazz or big band music) performed with a regular beat, moderate tempo, lack of improvisation, and an emphasis on warm tone and clearly outlined melody.
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- in a sweet manner; sweetly.
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- a sweet flavor, smell, or sound; sweetness.
- something that is sweet or causes or gives a sweet flavor, smell, or sound.
- sweets, Informal.
- candied sweet potatoes.
- (in direct address) sweetheart.
- sweets, pie, cake, candy, and other foods high in sugar content.
- Chiefly British.
- a piece of candy; sweetmeat or bonbon.
- a sweet dish or dessert, as a pudding or tart.
- something pleasant to the mind or feelings.
- a beloved person.
- (in direct address) darling; sweetheart.
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- sweet on, Informal. infatuated with; in love with: He's sweet on her.
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Origin of sweet
before 900; (adj. and adv.) Middle English swet(e), Old English swēte (adj.); (noun) Middle English swet(e), derivative of the adj.; cognate with Old Saxon swōti, Old High German swuozi (German süss); akin to Dutch zoet, Old Norse sætr, Gothic suts, Greek hēdýs sweet, Latin suādēre to recommend, suāvis pleasant
Synonyms
See more synonyms for sweet on Thesaurus.com1. sugary. 5. melodious, mellifluous. 6. redolent, aromatic, scented. 8. winning, lovable, charming.
Sweet
[sweet]
- Henry,1845–1912, English philologist and linguist.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sweet
Contemporary Examples
The smell of grilled meat mixes with the exotic wafts of cinnamon tea served with a mush of sweet brown dessert.
So just looking forward to taking our sweet ass time with this next one.
The tasteless bread was transformed into a sweet cake that included ingredients, such as dried fruit and marzipan.
To Hitchcock, this is not a sweet wire from an old colleague but a condolence letter on the occasion of his own death.
While 15 miles per week has benefits, “the sweet spot is probably around 30 miles of running per week,” Williams argues.
Historical Examples
It is sweet and refreshing to pursue our old subjects of discourse.
But sweet beyond words had been this speech from the bartender.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
But in her sweet way she had given him her woman's aftermath of love.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
It has all been very sweet, but it will also be sweet to loaf awhile.
Ballads of a BohemianRobert W. Service
Lift up your sweet face, my best child, my own Clarissa Harlowe!
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
sweet
- having or denoting a pleasant taste like that of sugar
- agreeable to the senses or the mindsweet music
- having pleasant manners; gentlea sweet child
- (of wine, etc) having a relatively high sugar content; not dry
- (of foods) not decaying or rancidsweet milk
- not saltysweet water
- free from unpleasant odourssweet air
- containing no corrosive substancessweet soil
- (of petrol) containing no sulphur compounds
- sentimental or unrealistic
- individual; particularthe electorate went its own sweet way
- jazz performed with a regular beat, with the emphasis on clearly outlined melody and little improvisation
- Australian slang satisfactory or in order; all right
- archaic respected; dear (used in polite forms of address)sweet sir
- smooth and precise; perfectly executeda sweet shot
- sweet on fond of or infatuated with
- keep someone sweet to ingratiate oneself in order to ensure cooperation
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- informal in a sweet manner
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- a sweet taste or smell; sweetness in general
- (often plural) British any of numerous kinds of confectionery consisting wholly or partly of sugar, esp of sugar boiled and crystallized (boiled sweets)
- British a pudding, fruit, or any sweet dish served as a dessert
- dear; sweetheart (used as a form of address)
- anything that is sweet
- (often plural) a pleasurable experience, state, etcthe sweets of success
- US See sweet potato
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Word Origin
Old English swēte; related to Old Saxon swōti, Old High German suozi, Old Norse sœtr, Latin suādus persuasive, suāvis sweet, Greek hēdus, Sanskrit svādu; see persuade, suave
Sweet
- Henry. 1845–1912, English philologist; a pioneer of modern phonetics. His books include A History of English Sounds (1874)
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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
Word Origin and History for sweet
adj.
Old English swete "pleasing to the senses, mind or feelings," from Proto-Germanic *swotijaz (cf. Old Saxon swoti, Swedish söt, Danish sød, Middle Dutch soete, Dutch zoet, Old High German swuozi, German süß), from PIE root *swad- "sweet, pleasant" (Sanskrit svadus "sweet;" Greek hedys "sweet, pleasant, agreeable," hedone "pleasure;" Latin suavis "sweet," suadere "to advise," properly "to make something pleasant to").
To be sweet on someone is first recorded 1690s. Sweet-talk (v.) dates from 1935; earliest uses seem to refer to conversation between black and white in segregated U.S. Sweet sixteen first recorded 1767. Sweet dreams as a parting to one going to sleep is attested from 1898, short for sweet dreams to you, etc. Sweet and sour in cooking is from 1723 and not originally of oriental food.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with sweet
sweet
In addition to the idioms beginning with sweet
- sweet dreams
- sweeten the kitty
- sweetness and light
- sweet nothings
- sweet on, be
- sweet talk
- sweet tooth
also see:
- short and sweet
- take the bitter with the sweet
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.