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sweet

[sweet]
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adjective, sweet·er, sweet·est.
  1. having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.
  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.
  6. pleasing or fresh to the smell; fragrant; perfumed.
  7. pleasing or agreeable; delightful.
  8. amiable; kind or gracious, as a person, action, etc.
  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.
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noun
  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, Informal.
    1. candied sweet potatoes.
    2. (in direct address) sweetheart.
  4. sweets, pie, cake, candy, and other foods high in sugar content.
  5. Chiefly British.
    1. a piece of candy; sweetmeat or bonbon.
    2. a sweet dish or dessert, as a pudding or tart.
  6. something pleasant to the mind or feelings.
  7. a beloved person.
  8. (in direct address) darling; sweetheart.
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Idioms
  1. sweet on, Informal. infatuated with; in love with: He's sweet on her.
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Origin of sweet

before 900; (adj. and adv.) Middle English swet(e), Old English swēte (adj.); (noun) Middle English swet(e), derivative of the adj.; cognate with Old Saxon swōti, Old High German swuozi (German süss); akin to Dutch zoet, Old Norse sætr, Gothic suts, Greek hēdýs sweet, Latin suādēre to recommend, suāvis pleasant
Related formssweet·ly, adverbsweet·ness, nounnon·sweet, adjectiveo·ver·sweet, adjectiveo·ver·sweet·ly, adverbo·ver·sweet·ness, nounsu·per·sweet, adjectivesu·per·sweet·ly, adverbsu·per·sweet·ness, noun
Can be confusedsuite sweet

Synonyms

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1. sugary. 5. melodious, mellifluous. 6. redolent, aromatic, scented. 8. winning, lovable, charming.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

confectionerydessertconfectioncandypuddingpiesweetmeatscomfitpastriesgoodies

Examples from the Web for sweets

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The man I remember who gave me sweets when I was a child had black hair; he has red!

  • In his later years Kendall tasted some of the sweets of success.

  • She took her revenge in the evening by giving us a dish of sweets for dinner that I did not like.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • But it is when Lulla has undertaken to investigate a tin of sweets that she most suggests Agassiz.

    Lotus Buds

    Amy Carmichael

  • How unlike the variety of meats and sweets on which I feasted you!'

    Gorgias

    Plato

British Dictionary definitions for sweets

Sweet

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

adjective
  1. having or denoting a pleasant taste like that of sugar
  2. agreeable to the senses or the mindsweet music
  3. having pleasant manners; gentlea sweet child
  4. (of wine, etc) having a relatively high sugar content; not dry
  5. (of foods) not decaying or rancidsweet milk
  6. not saltysweet water
  7. free from unpleasant odourssweet air
  8. containing no corrosive substancessweet soil
  9. (of petrol) containing no sulphur compounds
  10. sentimental or unrealistic
  11. individual; particularthe electorate went its own sweet way
  12. jazz performed with a regular beat, with the emphasis on clearly outlined melody and little improvisation
  13. Australian slang satisfactory or in order; all right
  14. archaic respected; dear (used in polite forms of address)sweet sir
  15. smooth and precise; perfectly executeda sweet shot
  16. sweet on fond of or infatuated with
  17. keep someone sweet to ingratiate oneself in order to ensure cooperation
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adverb
  1. informal in a sweet manner
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noun
  1. a sweet taste or smell; sweetness in general
  2. (often plural) British any of numerous kinds of confectionery consisting wholly or partly of sugar, esp of sugar boiled and crystallized (boiled sweets)
  3. British 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, etcthe sweets of success
  7. US See sweet potato
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Derived Formssweetish, adjectivesweetly, adverbsweetness, noun

Word Origin

Old English swēte; related to Old Saxon swōti, Old High German suozi, Old Norse sœtr, Latin suādus persuasive, suāvis sweet, Greek hēdus, Sanskrit svādu; see persuade, suave
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sweets

sweet

adj.

Old English swete "pleasing to the senses, mind or feelings," from Proto-Germanic *swotijaz (cf. Old Saxon swoti, Swedish söt, Danish sød, Middle Dutch soete, Dutch zoet, Old High German swuozi, German süß), from PIE root *swad- "sweet, pleasant" (Sanskrit svadus "sweet;" Greek hedys "sweet, pleasant, agreeable," hedone "pleasure;" Latin suavis "sweet," suadere "to advise," properly "to make something pleasant to").

To be sweet on someone is first recorded 1690s. Sweet-talk (v.) dates from 1935; earliest uses seem to refer to conversation between black and white in segregated U.S. Sweet sixteen first recorded 1767. Sweet dreams as a parting to one going to sleep is attested from 1898, short for sweet dreams to you, etc. Sweet and sour in cooking is from 1723 and not originally of oriental food.

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sweet

n.

c.1300, "something sweet to the taste," also "beloved one," from sweet (adj.); the meaning "candy drop" is 1851 (earlier sweetie, 1721).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with sweets

sweet

In addition to the idioms beginning with sweet

  • sweet dreams
  • sweeten the kitty
  • sweetness and light
  • sweet nothings
  • sweet on, be
  • sweet talk
  • sweet tooth

also see:

  • short and sweet
  • take the bitter with the sweet
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.