sweetener
Americannoun
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something that sweetens, as sugar or a low-calorie synthetic product used instead of sugar.
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an added inducement.
such sweeteners as tax breaks and low-cost loans.
noun
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a sweetening agent, esp one that does not contain sugar
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informal a bribe
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informal a financial inducement
Etymology
Origin of sweetener
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.
But a near-endless number of possible customizations means that customers can bring their sugar intake far higher by adding pumps of syrup, cold foam, sweetener or other toppings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
It is best known today as a zero calorie natural sweetener, but research shows it also contains a wide range of bioactive compounds.
From Science Daily • Jan. 14, 2026
So after intensive talks over the Christmas period, a deal has been thrashed out, which seems to chiefly revolve around the sweetener of contract reform.
From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026
“The U.S. administration has been more willing to take ownership stakes in other companies, and if the equity sweetener is generous enough, they may take the bait on this one as well,” writes D.A.
From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025
I drank black coffee and licked artificial sweetener from the palm on my hand.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
