sweet
adjective
having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.
sweet
1 American
[sweet]
/ swit /
adjective
sweeter,
sweetest
-
having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.
- Synonyms:
- sugary
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- mellifluous, melodious
-
pleasing or fresh to the smell; fragrant; perfumed.
-
pleasing or agreeable; delightful.
-
amiable; kind or gracious, as a person, action, etc.
-
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.
adverb
interjection
noun
-
a sweet flavor, smell, or sound; sweetness.
-
something that is sweet or causes or gives a sweet flavor, smell, or sound.
-
sweets,
-
candy, pie, cake, and other foods high in sugar content.
-
Informal. sweet potatoes.
-
-
Chiefly British.
-
a piece of candy; confection or bonbon.
-
a sweet dish or dessert, as a pudding or tart.
-
-
something pleasant to the mind or feelings.
-
a beloved person.
-
Often sweets (in direct address) darling; sweetheart.
Yes, my sweet.
idioms
-
sweet on, infatuated with; in love with.
He's sweet on her.
-
short and sweet. see short and sweet.
Sweet
2
American
[sweet]
/ swit /
noun
sweet
1
British
/ swiːt /
adjective
-
having or denoting a pleasant taste like that of sugar
-
agreeable to the senses or the mind
sweet music
-
having pleasant manners; gentle
a sweet child
-
(of wine, etc) having a relatively high sugar content; not dry
-
(of foods) not decaying or rancid
sweet milk
-
not salty
sweet water
-
free from unpleasant odours
sweet air
-
containing no corrosive substances
sweet soil
-
(of petrol) containing no sulphur compounds
-
sentimental or unrealistic
-
individual; particular
the electorate went its own sweet way
-
jazz performed with a regular beat, with the emphasis on clearly outlined melody and little improvisation
-
slang satisfactory or in order; all right
-
archaic respected; dear (used in polite forms of address)
sweet sir
-
smooth and precise; perfectly executed
a sweet shot
-
fond of or infatuated with
-
to ingratiate oneself in order to ensure cooperation
adverb
noun
-
a sweet taste or smell; sweetness in general
-
(often plural) any of numerous kinds of confectionery consisting wholly or partly of sugar, esp of sugar boiled and crystallized ( boiled sweets )
-
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, etc
the sweets of success
-
See sweet potato
Sweet
2
British
noun
sweet
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing sweet
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.
There’s a welcome familiarity to Sally Field that emanates through the screen as you watch “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” a charmingly sweet adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s hit 2022 novel of the same name.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
From another angle, though, Kelly isn’t souring on Trump—she’s just sweet on his new anti-war critics.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
And as played in this 10-part series by Ella Bruccoleri, she is sympathetic, empathetic, compassionate and very, very sweet.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
With a high five from Jost’s Hegseth, the line landed well, cutting through the sketch’s chaos with a joke that felt both pointed and intentionally over the top — that “SNL” sweet spot.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
Even if I could read the words out loud, and make them sweet and sour, long and short, high and low, all I would be hearing in my own head was “You’re mean.”
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
