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.
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.
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.
sweet on, infatuated with; in love with.
He's sweet on her.
short and sweet. see short and sweet.
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
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
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”
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was sweet, and we stayed in touch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
It was the nearby Holy Trinity club - a staple of the city's boxing fabric - where the love of the sweet science was forged.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Then the U.S. shale boom brought in the opposite kind — light sweet crude that expensive refinery equipment doesn’t optimally use.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle,” Oscar winner Marlee Matlin wrote on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
And I stayed trapped in this awful knowledge that Traveler had sent that sweet message to Rachel Allan.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
With England claiming "Sweet Caroline" first, World Cup 2026 executive Amy Hopfinger chose the well-known John Denver song to close out the June 19 US 2-0 win over Australia.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
Sweet Sixteen in 1983 saw Keith's character becoming pregnant by a much younger man.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
CEO Julie Sweet told analysts the Iran conflict had interrupted business in the region and caused ripple effects beyond it, as the war prompted corporate clients to tighten discretionary spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
This “is the type of move that defines our strategy,” Sweet said in the earnings release.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
Reverend Obertask, the walrus-magician, was going to inadvertently set fire to the Sweet Shepherd Church!
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
Afterwards, she said she was ready to quit tennis, but she quickly got over the disappointment thanks to a "couple bags of chips and some sweets".
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Each mountain trek will be powered by noodles and Albie-Junior's favourite sour sweets.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Americans are shifting from traditional sweets, with chocolate’s snack consumption share down 2.6 percentage points since 2010.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
There are stands offering Portuguese steaks, sweets, high-end wines, health-food tacos and the finest coastal oysters around, consumed around shared tables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
I yanked my hat lower on my head and reached for a sack of sweets I’d tucked in the pocket of my checkered gown.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
It’s essentially something between olive oil and olio santo, except it’s a little sweeter and less spicy.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 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
There’s hardly a sweeter spot in the country for a fishy meal by the sea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 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
It was small, but not nearly as small as a herring barrel, and much sweeter smelling, too.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Despite Mary’s misfit qualities, she exhibits a kindness that even the sweetest of her sisters, Jane, lacks.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
If he can carry it all the way to a seventh Premiership title it may be the sweetest victory of the lot.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 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
"The first title is always the sweetest compared to the others, but this eighth one is a kind of confirmation. Nobody would have thought that one day De Vlaeminck's record would be broken," he said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
The sweetest crop she’d ever raised in Ajarry’s plot, even with the taste of marsh water.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
