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• sweet
  sweet

  adjective

  having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.
• Sweet
  Sweet

  noun

  Henry, 1845–1912, English philologist and linguist.

sweet

¹ American  

[sweet] / swit /

adjective

• sweeter,
  comparative
• sweetest
  superlative

1. having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.

   Synonyms:

   sugary

2. producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, sour, or salt.

3. not rancid or stale; fresh.

   This milk is still sweet.

4. not salt or salted.

   sweet butter.

5. pleasing to the ear; making a delicate, pleasant, or agreeable sound; musical.

   Synonyms:

   mellifluous, melodious

6. pleasing or fresh to the smell; fragrant; perfumed.

   Synonyms:

   aromatic, redolent

7. pleasing or agreeable; delightful.

8. amiable; kind or gracious, as a person, action, etc.

   Synonyms:

   charming, lovable, winning

9. dear; beloved; precious.

10. easily managed; done or effected without effort.

11. (of wine) not dry; containing unfermented, natural sugar.

12. (of a cocktail) made with a greater proportion of vermouth than usual.

13. sentimental, cloying, or unrealistic.

    a sweet painting of little kittens.

14. (of air) fresh; free from odor, staleness, excess humidity, noxious gases, etc.

15. free from acidity or sourness, as soil.

16. Chemistry.

    1. devoid of corrosive or acidic substances.

    2. (of fuel oil or gas) containing no sulfur compounds.

17. (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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adverb

1. in a sweet manner; sweetly.

interjection

1. Slang. (used to express approval, admiration, satisfaction, pleasure, etc..

   I hear she got a promotion. Sweet!

noun

• sweets
  plural

1. a sweet flavor, smell, or sound; sweetness.

2. something that is sweet or causes or gives a sweet flavor, smell, or sound.

3. sweets,

   1. candy, pie, cake, and other foods high in sugar content.

   2. Informal. sweet potatoes.

4. Chiefly British.

   1. a piece of candy; confection or bonbon.

   2. a sweet dish or dessert, as a pudding or tart.

5. something pleasant to the mind or feelings.

6. a beloved person.

7. Often sweets (in direct address) darling; sweetheart.

   Yes, my sweet.

idioms

1. sweet on, infatuated with; in love with.

   He's sweet on her.

2. short and sweet. see short and sweet.

Sweet ² American  

[sweet] / swit /

noun

1. Henry, 1845–1912, English philologist and linguist.

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sweet ¹ British  

/ swiːt /

adjective

1. having or denoting a pleasant taste like that of sugar

2. agreeable to the senses or the mind

   sweet music

3. having pleasant manners; gentle

   a sweet child

4. (of wine, etc) having a relatively high sugar content; not dry

5. (of foods) not decaying or rancid

   sweet milk

6. not salty

   sweet water

7. free from unpleasant odours

   sweet air

8. containing no corrosive substances

   sweet soil

9. (of petrol) containing no sulphur compounds

10. sentimental or unrealistic

11. individual; particular

    the electorate went its own sweet way

12. jazz performed with a regular beat, with the emphasis on clearly outlined melody and little improvisation

13. slang satisfactory or in order; all right

14. archaic respected; dear (used in polite forms of address)

    sweet sir

15. smooth and precise; perfectly executed

    a sweet shot

16. fond of or infatuated with

17. to ingratiate oneself in order to ensure cooperation

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adverb

1. informal in a sweet manner

noun

1. a sweet taste or smell; sweetness in general

2. (often plural) any of numerous kinds of confectionery consisting wholly or partly of sugar, esp of sugar boiled and crystallized ( boiled sweets )

3. a pudding, fruit, or any sweet dish served as a dessert

4. dear; sweetheart (used as a form of address)

5. anything that is sweet

6. (often plural) a pleasurable experience, state, etc

   the sweets of success

7. See sweet potato

Sweet ² British  

noun

1. Henry. 1845–1912, English philologist; a pioneer of modern phonetics. His books include A History of English Sounds (1874)

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sweet More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sweet

• short and sweet
• take the bitter with the sweet

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oversweetness
  noun
• supersweetness
  noun
• sweetness
  noun
• nonsweet
  adjective
• oversweet
  adjective
• supersweet
  adjective
• sweetish
  adjective
• oversweetly
  adverb
• supersweetly
  adverb
• sweetly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sweets
  plural

Adjectives

• sweeter
  comparative
• sweetest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of sweet

First recorded before 900; (adjective and adverb) Middle English swet(e), Old English swēte (adjective); (noun) Middle English swet(e), derivative of the adjective; cognate with Old Saxon swōti, Old High German swuozi ( German süss ); akin to Dutch zoet, Old Norse sætr, Gothic suts, Sanskrit svādú-, Greek hēdýs, hādýs “sweet,” Latin suāvis “pleasant” and suādēre “to recommend”

Explanation

Food that’s sweet is full of sugar, bad for your teeth, but oh so tasty. People who are sweet are super nice, like that sweet lunch lady who gives you an extra cookie. Sweet can be an adjective or a noun. It can describe something pleasing to the senses, like a sweet song, or when you're playing basketball and get nothing but net. Sweet! As a noun, it's a confection, a little something for dessert. The poet Khalil Gibran said, “Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.” Don’t opportunistically take your friends for granted, or you could become the target of some sweet revenge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweet Sweet sweets sweeter sweetest

It was this sweet little moment before she goes and joins Anton in the closet, where they look at me and are like, “So, you’re really married?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

But analysts have expressed doubts about relying on heavy Venezuelan crude for the SPR, which is set up largely to store what’s known as light, sweet crude.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

The researchers then continued testing different conditions until they identified a "sweet spot" involving temperature and ammonia pressure.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Today, its earthy, sweet notes often pair well with the last course.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Clare kept at the badger’s heels, but when he spotted the acorn garland draped over the trees and smelled the sweet scent of cherry berries, he bounded ahead.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

"I just had to relive it all over again and it's horrible," added Sweet, from the Vale of Glamorgan.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Otto's arthritis diagnosis was devastating for Sweet, who'd previously had to have another horse put down due to the exact same issue.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Neil Diamond showing up to sing "Sweet Caroline" for the opening of Notre Dame High's $3 million baseball field in 2014.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Recent requests have included Mexican peso designs, medallions and a glittery wand for a Sweet 16 gift.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

“Hey, Sweet Pea!” he said, lifting me up as soon as he walked through the door, giving me a raspberry on my cheek.

From "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson

Albie-Junior Thomas finished the Three Peaks Challenge in 22 hours and 30 minutes alongside his dad, powered by ham and cheese sandwiches, sour sweets and four months' training.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Catherine, meanwhile, had run to seed and spent as much time as possible lying in bed eating sweets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

WSJ: How are consumers responding to new restrictions on what shoppers can buy with food stamps, including sweets in some states?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

Seventeen days of drama, tension and pressure, all with the crowd so close they can touch the players – or offer them sweets.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026

Holmes had promised a bounty of toys and sweets for Pearl, and for Julia something truly grand, beyond anything she could have received from her poor bland Ned.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Thinking of it that way makes life sweeter, too.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

"For exports we prefer the NMK-01 variety because it has better shelf life, thicker skin, more pulp, and a sweeter taste compared to others," he says.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

Think fewer ripped bodices, more compression socks — and all the sweeter for it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

“They are in a much sweeter spot for a big tax refund season and a middle income and up geared stimulus. And they’ve got easy comparisons,” he said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

This only made the prize even sweeter, because I had worked very hard and enjoyed myself doing it.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

It might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted—and was the only drink I couldn’t finish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

"I know heaven has the sweetest kindest girl. We will miss you terribly."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

These days, Thompson’s music is among the sweetest.

From Salon ● May 15, 2026

“Six months ago I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful, sweetest person,” a choked-up Lægreid said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

Jenna’s father actually farms his land; he grows soybeans and the sweetest corn for miles around.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Related Words

• appealing
• beautiful
• charming
• delightful
• engaging
• generous
• gentle
• lovable
• loving
• luscious
• mild
• mushy
• pleasant
• pleasing
• tender