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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

This version leans hard into fresh corn, still in its cool green husks and already smelling sweet before you cut it from the cob.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Flavors include pineapple, black cherry, and my favorite, grapefruit—which is tart without being overly sweet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

It’s sweet, tangy, and pickley—the perfect complement to backyard cookouts.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

However, the young woman soon learns that the world of honey isn't as sweet as it seems.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Up and up they crawled, to where the air smelled sweet and the sun shone.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

She co-owns Sweet Emporium where she is busy serving customers sweets and ice creams in the hot weather.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

These days, the temperature inside the kitchen at Sweet Red Peach bakery is at least 93 degrees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Eventually an all-white jury acquitted Henry Sweet; charges against the others were dropped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Meanwhile, Sweet congratulated Accenture’s “approximately 124,000 people who were promoted this fiscal year, a 30% increase over last year, including more than 900 who were promoted to managing director,” according to a FactSet transcript.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

Sweet Pea squeaked and started biting at the air.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

A loud cheer went up and huge celebrations erupted with the protesters singing, dancing, shouting slogans and handing out sweets.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The 54-year-old also offered to pay for their sweets and snacks.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 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

“Thanks. You make sweets like this for your sweethearts?” he asked.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Notching his first major-league hit at Yankee Stadium was even sweeter, Alfonzo said, because of his grandmother’s affinity for the Yankees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 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

Indian mango—Alphonso from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri coast, Kesar from Gujarat, Chausa and Langra from the north, Banganapalli from the south—is richer, sweeter and fiercely seasonal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

The closed-end fund, Pershing Square USA, could raise $5 billion to $10 billion, and Ackman already has lined up $2.8 billion from a group of investors, who will get a sweeter deal than public buyers.

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

For an illiterate immigrant who came to New York years ago with nothing but $100 in his pocket and a willingness to work etched on his heart, could any words have been sweeter to say?

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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

Not long ago, Cinnabon was ready to capitalize on what should have been reality TV star Taylor Frankie Paul’s sweetest season.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 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

But the black girls were the sweetest, smartest, nerdiest kids.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

Related Words

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